Scientist’s cat helps discover a rare virus — yet again

A scientist’s cat shot to fame last year for his role in the discovery of the United States’ first-known jeilongvirus. Now, the feline has replicated his success by fetching yet another animal containing a never-before-seen bug.

The newfound virus was found in a dead Everglades short-tailed shrew (Blarina peninsulae), which Pepper the cat brought home following a successful hunting trip near his home in Gainesville, Florida. John Lednicky, Pepper’s owner and a virologist at the University of Florida, retrieved his pet’s catch and took it to the lab for testing.

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