Should cat owners be worried about a feline coronavirus outbreak in the UK?

A type of feline coronavirus is estimated to have killed 300,000 cats in Cyprus alone.

As feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) spreads rapidly through the population of the Mediterranean island, cat owners are taking extreme action to look after their beloved pets.

But should cat owners in the UK be concerned about the spread of FIP? Metro.co.uk spoke to Francis Martin, chief executive of The Insurance Emporium which specialises in pet insurance to find out.

What is FIP?

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is a common virus that is found in cat populations across the globe, and it’s believed to date back to the early 1960s. While some infected cats are asymptomatic, others may suffer from mild diarrhoea. Feline coronavirus and FIP cannot be transmitted to dogs, humans, or other species.

The feline coronavirus replicates in the intestines and is shed in faeces, where it can survive for several days. Infection occurs after ingestion of the virus, typically by cats licking their fur which is then contaminated by faeces.

FIP is a rare, and fatal, mutation of feline coronavirus. Once a cat is infected with feline coronavirus there’s the potential it may develop into FIP. Some factors can increase the chances of this happening including age (kittens over three months and cats under two years of age are more at risk), breed, the cat’s immune status, stress levels, and high infection rates in households where multiple cats live, shelters and catteries where there are several cats infected by feline coronavirus and the shedding virus.

There are two forms of the virus, ‘Dry FIP’ and ‘Wet FIP’, sometimes a cat will present clinical signs of one or the other, or a combination of both.

Treatment for FIP has only been legally available since August 2021, before this a cat infected with FIP would have sadly passed away or have been put to sleep by vets. However, now there are two treatments available through veterinary practices in the UK; Remdesivir and GS-441524.

The current outbreak of FIP in Cyprus has concerned the veterinary community as it has been reported that indoor-only cats have become infected. As reported by Vet Times, this suggests that the highly transmittable strain of feline coronavirus that is present in Cyprus may potentially be transmitted by mechanical vectors.

An example of a mechanical vector is a housefly that lands on cow dung, contaminating its appendages with bacteria from the faeces and then lands on food before consumption. The pathogen never enters the body of the fly.

Until further tests have been carried out it’s purely speculation as to what exactly is causing the outbreak.

Should cat owners be concerned about an outbreak in the UK?

FIP has previously been reported in the UK, therefore, it’s not a new virus and thankfully treatment is available from veterinary practices.

The sensible thing for cat owners to do is to familiarise themselves with the symptoms of both feline coronavirus and FIP. If their cat has coronavirus or has been exposed to it, seek veterinary advice on how to reduce stress, to help minimise the risk of the virus turning into FIP.

Owners should also make themselves aware of the dangers of seeking treatment through black market channels such as Facebook. Firstly, this is illegal, secondly there’s the unknown of what these drugs contain and whether the treatment will be effective, whereas seeking treatment from a vet is always best practice.

What should I do if my cat gets FIP?

If your cat is symptomatic of the virus, you should contact your vet immediately and seek their advice on diagnosis and treatment. The treatment of FIP is approximately 12 weeks to help reduce the risk of the virus recurring.

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