This feline coronavirus strain is killing cats. Transmittable to humans?

The disease- Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)- is not transmittable to humans but has rapidly spread across Cyprus.

ITDC INIDA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS: A strain of feline coronavirus is wreaking havoc on the prolific cat population of Cyprus. The eastern Mediterranean island is home to the earliest evidence of the cat's domestication and is known as the "island of cats". As many of the island's felines are strays, animal advocates said that the number of cats dying from disease is significantly higher than the 107 cases of FIP officially reported.

The disease- Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)- is not transmittable to humans but has rapidly spread across Cyprus in recent months. It is "highly contagious" among cats. "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 said.

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Experts say that the island's cat population is equal to or even exceeds the human population of Cyprus. In the south of the country, a third of the cats have succumbed to the virus.

What are the symptoms of the disease and how widespread is it?

Cats with FIP have symptoms including fever, abdominal swelling, weakness, and sometimes even aggressiveness. But many cats are stray leading to diagnosing being difficult.

Several people who feed stray cats told news agency AFP said that many of their regulars are disappearing and very few corpses are found. An outbreak is suspected to be also spreading across cat populations in Lebanon, Israel.

Are there treatment options available?

To contain the spread, two treatment options have been considered- molnupiravir, an anti-Covid pill and another antiviral tablet GS-441524, chemically similar to the Covid-19 treatment remdesivir.