Cats are all over the place within the Greek Cypriot-administered metropolis of Nicosia, dwelling to the earliest proof of the animal’s domestication and identified by some because the “island of cats.” However, the jap Mediterranean island has additionally turn into lethal for felines just lately as a viral illness continues to unfold.
A sickly ginger kitten named Bebe is pulled out of a cat service at a veterinary clinic in Nicosia. The six-month-old is affected by a pressure of feline coronavirus that’s wreaking havoc on the prolific cat inhabitants of Cyprus.
Many of the island’s felines are strays. They wander at will into folks’s gardens, sit expectantly beside restaurant diners in hopes of a tasty morsel, and loiter close to rubbish bins.
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which isn’t transmittable to people, has quickly unfold throughout Cyprus in latest months, being “highly contagious” amongst cats, veterinarian Kostis Larkou stated as he gently examined the visibly disoriented Bebe.
Animal advocates say the variety of cats dying from the illness is considerably greater than the 107 instances of FIP formally reported by the Greek Cypriot administration’s agriculture ministry within the southern a part of the island.
“We have lost 300,000 cats since January” from FIP, stated Dinos Ayiomamitis, head of Cats PAWS Cyprus and vice-president of Cyprus Voice for Animals.
The situation shouldn’t be unique to the Greek aspect of the island as cats within the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are dying from the sickness as effectively.
Experts say the island’s cat inhabitants is the same as and even exceeds the human inhabitants of slightly multiple million.
In the south, Ayiomamitis estimates {that a} third of the cats have succumbed to the virus. Cats with FIP have signs together with fever, stomach swelling, weak point, and generally even aggressiveness.
But with so many stray cats, the contagion has confirmed tough to diagnose and doc.
Ancient cat historical past
Cypriots have a protracted and intertwined historical past with their furry associates. Legend has it {that a} Roman empress, Helena, first introduced cats to Cyprus to get rid of toxic snakes about 1,700 years in the past.
But archaeological proof of cats’ domestication on the island dates again additional than anyplace else on the planet – to 9,500 years in the past on the Neolithic village of Shillourokambos, the place the stays of a cat and a human had been discovered intentionally buried collectively.
That bond between feline and human has continued by way of the millennia, leaving animal lovers like Ayiomamitis taking good care of the island’s cats at the moment.
He has fears, although, for the roughly 60 cats he has been feeding at a cemetery within the capital for 1 / 4 of a century.
“The colony is doing well, but we are worried because if one is infected, the others will be too,” says the retiree, 70, as cats scampered up marble tombstones.
Several individuals who feed stray cats advised Agence France-Presse (AFP) that a lot of their regulars are disappearing, and only a few corpses are discovered, noting that when cats are sick, they usually self-isolate and die alone.
An outbreak is suspected to be additionally spreading throughout cat populations in close by Lebanon, Israel and Türkiye, however within the absence of research, that can’t be confirmed, stated Demetris Epaminondas, vice chairman of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association.
To comprise the unfold, two remedy choices have been thought of. One is molnupiravir, an anti-COVID tablet, which officers say couldn’t be licensed to be used on animals in Cyprus.
Another antiviral pill, GS-441524, chemically much like the COVID-19 remedy remdesivir, is permitted for animal use in Britain and for importation to Cyprus, with restrictions.
But its value, at 3,000 to 7,000 euros (about $3,300-$7,700) per cat, is prohibitive, and there’s no provide in Cyprus.
Black market
For weeks, Epaminondas has been making an attempt to acquire authorities authorization for molnupiravir, which might value a much more inexpensive 200 euros per cat.
The agriculture ministry advised AFP it was analyzing all doable technique of addressing the difficulty by way of “various therapeutic preparations available on the European market.”
Some have resorted to clandestine strategies to save lots of their pets.
“We bought our medicines on the black market online, or from Facebook groups. But we keep our suppliers secret so that we can continue to treat our animals,” stated one Cypriot, requesting anonymity due to the questionable legality of her actions.
Vasiliki Mani, 38, a member of a number of animal welfare organizations, is demanding a swift answer.
In January, she spent 3,600 euros to deal with two stray cats with FIP.
“I have spent all my savings,” she stated, denouncing the cruelty of “allowing animals to die” in Cyprus.
If FIP continues to unfold, Mani lamented, Cyprus will turn into “the island of dead cats.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
