Cat tests positive for coronavirus in Spain

A cat in Catalonia, Spain, has been confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Center for Investigation of Animal Health (CReSA) and the Catalan regional newspaper La Vanguardia reported Friday that the animal, which was also suffering from a heart complaint and had to be put down, is the first cat confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus in Spain.

The four-year-old cat lived with a family in which several members were also infected with the coronavirus.

CReSA investigator Joaquin Segales confirmed in La Vanguardia that it was almost certain that the humans had infected the cat and not the other way round.

"The virus' chain of transmission is from people to cats... The cat had a low quantity of virus, and none of the symptoms it presented were compatible with the virus. The cat was already suffering from a heart complaint and was then infected with SARS-CoV-2," explained Segales.