Federal officials confirmed that two pet cats in New York state have turned out to be positive for coronavirus. This is the first registered COVID-19 infected pets in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic.

The two animals live in different parts of New York state, and both presented respiratory problems that turned out to be a consequence of the novel virus. However, a full recovery is expected for the two unfortunate cats.

One of the felines was infected by its owner who tested positive for COVID-19, while the other one got the virus from an asymptomatic family member or possibly a mildly ill neighbor.

According to the officials, pets play no role in spreading the virus, yet scientists are still learning about COVID-19 nature and it’s still too early to jump into conclusions.

CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alarms pet owners to keep their animals indoors and make sure they have no contact with infected humans or other animals. Also, if the owners suspect they are infected, they should wear a face mask before having a necessary contact with their pets.

These two cats are not the first feline species to test positive for COVID-19. On April 4, the Malayan tiger Nadia at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for the virus, as well as four other tigers and three lions, the ZOO officials said.

They used fecal samples to test the big cats, and even though one of the tigers never developed a cough, it still turned out to be positive. However, all of them are doing well, recovering from the terrifying virus.