Feline coronavirus: Health experts raise concern after 'thousands' of cats die in Cyprus

Feline coronavirus is wreaking havoc among cat population in Cyprus. Thousands of cats have died in this tiny southeast European island nation, reported The Guardian. As per experts, this is a more virulent strain of coronavirus that is causing severe illness among felines. With so many pet cats at home, this outbreak has raised concerns about direct risk to humans.

Earlier this year, vets in Cyprus reported a sudden increase in feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) among cats.

Also Read | Parkinson's may quietly progress undetected for years: Study

Dinos Ayiomamitis, the head of the Cat Protection and Welfare Society (PAWS) Cyprus, has claimed that about 300,000 cats have died in the country since January. However, he later clarified that this was just an estimated number based on rough calculation.

“We haven’t validated these numbers yet,” said Dr Charalampos Attipa, a senior lecturer in veterinary clinical pathology at the University of Edinburgh. He is one the experts investigating the outbreak. According to him, feline coronavirus cases have increased year-on-year by a multiple of 40. “Definitely the numbers are in the thousands, but the exact [number] is hard to say.”

The team at Edinburgh have done genome sequencing to determine whether the virus has mutated. If so, it is quite possible that the Covid-19 pandemic may have indirectly caused the beginning of a new strain - since cats may get infected with Covid-19 and many of them carry new antibodies that could have triggered the evolution of existing feline coronaviruses.

Dr Justine Shotton, a senior vice-president at the British Veterinary Association said. “The reported cases of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in Cyprus are understandably concerning. However, FIP is a condition seen in cats in the UK and so while tests are ongoing to determine if this is a new strain of the virus, our current advice for cat owners is to contact their vet if they have any concerns about their pet’s health or welfare and discuss any preventative healthcare options.”

Meanwhile in Poland, the experts are investigating an outbreak of highly infectious H5N1 bird flu cases in domestic cats. 29 cats have tested positive for H5N1 flu as of July 11. The symptoms included bloody diarrhoea, breathing difficulties, and neurological symptoms. A total of 11 cats have reportedly died from the deadly flu with 14 being euthanised.

Dr Gregorio Torres, the head of science at the World Organisation for Animal Health said, “There is a recent paradigm change in the ecology and epidemiology of avian influenza which has heightened global concern as the disease spread to new geographical regions and caused unusual wild bird die-offs, and alarming rise in mammalian cases.”

However, none of the cats' owners have been found infected as of now. Hence, experts believe that vets and cat owners who have been exposed to the virus are at low to moderate risk of getting infected.

But to be on the safer side, the European Food Safety Authority has requested people to keep their pets indoors and away from areas where H5N1 flu in birds has been confirmed. Health organisations all over the world are closely monitoring the situation for any sign of these viruses becoming a threat to humans.