We found the first cat in the UK with Covid-19 - but there's no need to panic | Willie Weir

The feline had caught coronavirus from its owners, but our research shows it's a rare occurrence

• Willie Weir is professor of veterinary infectious disease at the University of Glasgow
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Since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, the potential role of animals in catching and spreading the disease has been closely examined by scientists. This is because the virus that causes Covid-19 belongs to the family of coronaviruses that cause disease in a variety of mammals.

The evidence suggests that this virus arose in bats, and my colleagues at the University of Glasgow have recently determined that the sub-type of coronavirus to which the virus belongs has been circulating in the bat population since the 1940s.