brussels a pet cat has been infected with the novel coronavirus in belgium after being contaminated by its owner belgian health authorities said fridaycases of contamination of pets are rare and authorities ruled out any risk of contamination to humans from home animalsthe reports follows similar cases in hong kong where two dogs tested positive for covid19 during a screening campaign carried out on 17 dogs and eight cats living in contact with people carrying the virusin belgium the discovery was made by researchers at the faculty of veterinary medicine in liegethis is an isolated case which can occur after close contact between animals and infected humans said doctor emmanuel andre a government agency spokesman on the pandemicthe virus can be transmitted from humans to animals but there is no reason to think that animals can be vectors of the epidemic in our society he saidin hong kong the dogs showed no symptoms while in belgium the cat was suffering from transitory respiratory and digestive problems said the belgian food safety agency afsca in a statementso far there is no evidence that a domestic animal can transmit the virus to humans or other pets the public authority saidas a precautionary measure it is strongly recommended to apply standard rules of hygiene when dealing with pets avoid close contact with pets wash your hands after handling any animal do not let the animal lick your facethe aim is to prevent the transmission of the virus to the animal and to prevent the animal itself from becoming a carrier of the virus