India, Sept. 10 -- More cats might be contracting COVID-19 than first believed, according to a study that looked at felines in Wuhan, China, where the first known outbreak of the disease began. Researchers from Huazhong Agricultural University took blood samples from 102 cats between January and March 2020, following the first outbreak.

They also collected nasal and anal swabs from the felines. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Emerging Microbes & Infections, showed COVID-19 antibodies present in 15 of the blood samples taken from the cats.

It found that of these, 11 cats had neutralising antibodies - proteins that bind so successfully to a virus they block the infection. The study shows cats are fighting off the virus w...