Feline coronavirus

Do cats get coronavirus?

Yes.

Cats can get infected with feline coronavirus (FCoV). It’s actually extremely common. It’s highly contagious – 80–90% of multicat households are infected. It affects the gut.

Is cat coronavirus the same as people coronavirus?

No.

FCoV is not the same as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (that virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]). While that virus has gone from bats to people, there is no evidence that FCoV can be transmitted from cats to people.

Cats do have the receptors in their respiratory tracts that SARS-CoV-2 binds to. In experimental conditions, cats could be infected the original SARS virus and spread to it other cats. They did not become sick and did not spread it to people. No cases of SARS-CoV-2 have been identified in cats at this time.

How do cats get coronavirus?

Cats become infected with FCoV when they ingest the virus. The virus attaches to and takes over the cells lining the small intestine. It uses the cells’ internal mechanisms to replicate itself. The replicated virus then sheds out in poo. Another cat using the same litter tray of toilet area then gets some virus on paws/fur and through self-grooming, ingests the virus. And so the cycle continues.

What are the signs of cat coronavirus?

Most infected cats show no symptoms.

If they do develop signs, then we usually see mild, self-limiting diarrhoea (due to some damage to the small intestinal cells).

While FCoV does not cause serious disease as it is, it can undergo a genetic mutation in some cats and become a very serious (fatal) disease called feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Why this mutation occurs is unknown. The signs of FIP include:

  • intermittent fever

  • extreme lethargy

  • failure to grow in kittens

  • jaundice

  • fluid build-up in the abdomen and/or chest

  • difficulty breathing

  • eye problems

  • seizures

Although FCoV is extremely common, FIP is not. The vast majority of cats that get FCoV will recover uneventfully.

How is cat coronavirus diagnosed?

We rarely test for FCoV. It’s not that we can’t, it’s just that it’s so common (in both sick and well cats) that a positive result is relatively meaningless.

How is cat coronavirus treated?

There is no specific treatment for FCoV.

Most cases go undetected and the cat recovers completely without needing any treatment.

If FIP develops (and there is no way to prevent this), treatment can be given to help symptoms. There is no cure.

raquel newmanAlbert Park Vet