The British government considered exterminating all cats at the start of the COVID-19 crisis

The British government considered asking people with cats to euthanize their pets at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, believing that cats risked transmitting the virus.

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This was stated by the former Minister of Health and Social Care, James Bethell, in an interview with Channel 4 News.

What should not be forgotten is how little we understand this disease. At one point, we really didn’t know if pets could transmit disease,” said the governor-elect, whose comments were reported. by Watchman.

Ministers thus briefly discussed the possibility of ordering the annihilation of all domestic cats in Great Britain, at the start of the epidemic, in 2020.

There was talk at one point of a public demand that all cats be killed in Britain. Can you imagine what would have happened, said Mr. Bethel, if we had wanted to do this?

In July 2020, at the height of the health crisis, cat owners were warned not to kiss their pets after a female Siamese became the first known animal in the UK to contract the disease, he recalled. Watchman.

Margaret Huzzey, a professor of virology at the University of Glasgow who led the screening programme, advised cat owners to “observe very strict hygiene”.

These same concerns have also surfaced in Quebec and Canada.

However, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) concluded at the end of March 2020 that the risk of infection and disease was low in pets.

These discoveries come after more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages were leaked regarding health crisis management in the UK.

France Press agency

Matt Hancock