Three cats, dog infected with coronavirus in Netherlands

Dutch authorities on Friday reported the country's first coronavirus case in a dog and infections in three cats, but said chances of contamination through pets were minimal.

The eight-year-old bulldog belonged to a COVID-19 patient and appeared to have been infected by its owner, Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten said. The dog was put down at the end of April.

The three cats were found at a mink farm where the mink were found to have coronavirus in April. "In all cases, we see that pets do not infect people," but the other way around, Schouten was quoted as saying by the Dutch ANP news agency.

The minister added that "although chances that your pet may be infected are slim, it is advisable to avoid contact with pets when you have COVID-19 symptoms, including hugging and letting them lick you."

Hong Kong authorities have previously reported two dogs tested positive for coronavirus. Other animal coronavirus cases around the world include a pet cat in Belgium and a tiger at the Bronx zoo.

All the animals were believed to have caught the disease from people. The Netherlands has reported 5,643 human deaths from coronavirus and 43,681 infections.