Precaution

Hello, I recently heard about increased deaths from FIP in cats in the Cyprus area, with the fear that it has reached/will reach other areas such as the UK. I wanted to know if this is a new mutation of Fcov? Or is this an increased outbreak of the same virus? Also, what can be done to prevent infection of domestic cats? What to avoid? What precautions should be taken? And what to do with cats I feed on the street? Thanks a lot.

Hello - you are correct; the veterinary press is reporting a twenty-fold increase of FIP (feline Corona-Virus) on the island of Cyprus at the moment, possibly due to a new strain (Vet Times, 2023).    To my understanding, FIP can lie latent in a cat, so many cats carrying the disease do not show clinical signs.  It can be spread by faecal contact and could therefore be difficult to prevent, especially in cats that mix with eg wild colonies on the island.  It has been suggested that isolating cats in small groups may help, but this can be difficult to acheive in practise.  We would strongly suggest liasing with your vet as soon as possible, in order to understand the risks as appropriate to your own cats and come up with an appropriate plan to protect your household.

I've had a lot of experience with cats that have FIP. From 2018 to 2019, I was working in Greece and Cyprus. During that time, I noticed there were more and more cats testing positive for FIP. While I don't know for sure if a new strain has developed, the increasing numbers of positive cats are definitely concerning. Here are my tips. Perhaps you will find them useful:

• Feeding stations: If you're feeding stray or feral cats, try to establish feeding stations away from your home where they won't have direct contact with your indoor cats.
• Wash hands and change clothes: After interacting with outdoor cats, wash your hands thoroughly and consider changing your clothes before interacting with your indoor cats.
• Consult a veterinarian: If you're concerned about the health of outdoor cats, consider consulting a veterinarian for advice on how to manage their health and reduce the risk of disease transmission.

When I lived in Girne, the northern part of Cyprus, there were a lot of calico cats, which are tricolor cats, that had FIP. It seemed like it might have been a colony of them. I contacted the local animal shelter and two vets about it, but even now, they still haven't done anything to help the cats.

FCoV is prone to mutations as an RNA virus and [url=https://drift-hunters.io]drift hunters[/url] different strains have variable risks of causing FIP in cats. So a novel strain emerging is definitely plausible.