Two cats in New York have become the first pets in the United States to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday.

Both cats live in two separate, but unidentified, areas of the state and had mild respiratory illness and were expected to make a full recovery, the CDC said.

A veterinarian tested the first cat after it showed mild respiratory signs and nobody in the pet’s household had tested positive for COVID-19, officials said. The animal may have become infected by a mildly-ill or asymptomatic family member or with contact with an infected person outside the home.

Samples were taken from the second cat after it showed signs of respiratory illness, but that feline’s owner tested positive for COVID-19 prior to it showing symptoms, the CDC said. However, another cat in the household showed no signs of illness.

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“SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported in very few animals worldwide, mostly in those that had close contact with a person with COVID-19,” the CDC said in a statement. “At this time, routine testing of animals is not recommended.”

Further studies are needed to understand if and how different animals, including pets, could be affected, it added.

Earlier this month, Nadia, a Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo, tested positive for COVID-19, zoo staff announced.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.