A feline coronavirus risks turning Cyprus into an “island of dead cats”, experts have warned after as many as 300,000 were killed in an outbreak.
Both stray and domestic cats have been killed by feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a coronavirus strain, since January. Experts have warned that “many cats” could die if the virus circulating in Cyprus makes its way to Britain.
The country, sometimes called the “island of cats”, is home to the earliest evidence of the animal’s domestication. But there is mounting unease about the threat posed by the cat Covid – which does not infect humans, but is mostly fatal if left untreated in felines.
“Local veterinarians have been reporting an alarming increase in FIP cases, which started in the capital city of Nicosia in January and spread throughout the whole island within three to four months,” said Dr Demetris Epaminondas, vice-president of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association.
In a recent blog post, he added that this is the first “outbreak of this extent” ever reported, with previous FIP clusters generally restricted to catteries. Symptoms include fever, abdominal swelling, energy loss, and sometimes even increased hostility. The virus generally affects kittens and young cats.
Prof Danièlle Gunn-Moore, a specialist in feline medicine at the University of Edinburgh, told the Telegraph that an outbreak of this size “has never been seen in living or reported history”, with increasing reports of dead cats laying in the streets and suspicions that this could be a new, deadlier strain of FIP. Tests are underway to determine this.
She added that local authorities have set up an advisory team, launched a media awareness campaign and are working to change legislation to allow drugs to be used to treat cats, but stressed no felines should be allowed to leave the country without testing negative.