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Cyprus becomes ‘island of dead cats’ after outbreak of feline coronavirus kills 300,000
Experts warn that ‘many cats’ could die if the virus circulating in Cyprus makes its way to Britain
By Sarah Newey, Global Health Security Correspondent 11 July 2023 • 4:05pm
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.
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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.
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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.
Another potential option is a cheaper antiviral used to treat Covid-19 in humans, called molnupiravir. Dr Epaminondas estimates this would cost around £170 per animal – yet an application by the vets association to authorise the treatment for cats was rejected in May, because the government said human drugs cannot be imported for use for veterinary care.
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