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. 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.
Could already be in Turkey, Lebanon and potentially Israel
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.
“There is already some evidence – albeit anecdotal – that it may already be in Turkey, Lebanon and potentially Israel. If this virus gets to the UK it could cause many of our cats to die. It would be heart-breaking. We must take this seriously.” Cyprus is a cat-loving country, and its history has long been intertwined with the furry creatures – archeologists have found evidence of their domestication dating back 9,500 years.
But on the island, locals who feed strays have reported that their regulars are increasingly disappearing as they succumb to the virus. Although just 107 cases have been officially reported, vets and animal advocates estimate the real figure is far higher.
“We have lost 300,000 cats since January [from FIP],” Dinos Ayiomamitis, head of Cats PAWS Cyprus and vice-president of Cyprus Voice for Animals, told Agence France Presse.
The island’s feline population is estimated at around one million. He said that part of the challenge around counting cases was that, with so many strays living across Cyprus, diagnosing and documenting every infection was almost impossible.
Dr Epaminondas said the “only way to stop the disease is medical treatment”, but this too has proved difficult. Experts want to start using two treatments on the cats, but bureaucratic hurdles and cost have so far hampered progress.
The drugs are remdesivir, used for Covid-19, and the closely related GS-441524. Although it is approved for use in animals in the UK, and for importation into Cyprus, it is expensive – between £2,500 and £6,000 for a cat weighing between 3kg and 4kg.
