A 7-year-old black shorthair named Pepper accidentally helped researchers discover a never-before-seen bug that could infect humans, the second time the cat has made a contribution to science.
Pepper has a habit of dropping off carcasses on the front mat of the home he shares with University of Florida virologist John Lednicky.
“He brings me these rodents … and then I bring them to the lab. That’s where all the magic happens,” Lednicky said.
One recent “gift” was a chewed-up Everglades short-tailed shrew which ended up in his Gainesville lab.
