Pooja Bhatt, Priyamani, others react as Cat faces deportation to China amid COVID-19 scare

The coronavirus has created a scare across the world, with thousands of people being affected and over 3000 deaths being reported. Countries around the world are taking all possible measures to protect people, while citizens themselves have started taking precautions like wearing masks and maintaining hygiene around themselves. However, amid the outbreak of the virus and the disease COVID-19, a stowaway cat has drawn attention from celebrities. 

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Celebrities are pleading with the Chennai Port to not deport a stowaway cat to China over alleged fear related to the coronavirus.  

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Pooja Bhatt, Sunny Leone, Priyamani and Ashmit Patel were among those who took to Twitter to request Chennai Port to not deport it to China,  but release it to The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). 

Here are the tweets: 

The PETA in a report stated that the cat had arrived in India from China in a container three weeks ago. However, it has been kept at the Chennai Port, and was being considered to be sent back to its country of origin by the Chennai quarantine. The report claimed that the cat might not have necessarily entered the container from China only, since ships are docked at Singapore, Colombo and other places, where the cat could have entered from.  

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PETA India’s manager of veterinary services, Dr Rashmi Gokhale has written to the Chennai Port, claiming that it has been ‘scientifically established’ that cats were not at the risk to transmit or contract the novel coronavirus. The body cited a report from American Veterinary Medical Association on domestic animals not being at a risk to contract or transmit coronavirus. The animal rights body offered to find the cat a ‘loving permanent home in India’ after the required medical tests and vaccinations were completed. 

PETA claimed that the chances of the cat surviving in China was scarce since cats are killed for fur and meat in the country. 

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