At the start of the corona pandemic, the British government apparently considered killing all domestic cats. Conservative politician James Bethell told Channel 4 News: “Actually, for a while there was the idea that we should ask the public to eradicate all cats in Britain. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had done that?”
When the pandemic broke out in 2020, very little was known about the disease. “There was a time when we were very unclear whether pets could transmit the disease.”
Bethell, a Member of the House of Lords, served in 2020 and 2021 as Deputy to then Health Secretary Matt Hancock at the Department of Health. According to the British news agency PA, he said there had been some evidence for some time that should have been investigated.
According to the Guardian, cat owners were warned in July 2020 not to kiss their pets. It had previously been revealed that a Siamese cat was the first – known – animal in the UK to be infected with the disease. Margaret Hosie, a professor of comparative virology at the University of Glasgow, advised cat owners to “pay close attention to hygiene,” the Guardian reported.
In England, one cat in particular enjoys cult status: Cat Larry has now resided in Downing Street, the seat of government, for over a dozen years as the “top mouser in the UK”. On his satirical account on Twitter, which mainly mocks political events in the name of the cat, prompted a response on Wednesday evening: “It’s hard not to take it personally”, referring to Bethell’s statement that the murder of the cats were thought of.
According to a study published in June 2022, the coronavirus can likely be transmitted from cats to humans. Scientists described a case in Thailand where a veterinarian contracted the virus in August 2021. She had treated and sneezed at a cat who tested positive in the southern Thai city of Songkhla.
However, scientists emphasize that the virus is much more likely to be transmitted from human to cat than the other way around. In Denmark, millions of minks have died during the pandemic due to concerns about transmission of the disease. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
