An outbreak of feline coronavirus that has killed thousands of cats in Cyprus could spread to Britain, it is feared.
Veterinary surgeons on the island have reported an “alarming increase” in cases of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a strain of coronavirus that does not spread to humans.
The symptoms of FIP include fever, abdominal swelling, energy loss and aggressive behaviour, with kittens and young cats the most affected.
Dinos Ayiomamitis, the head of Cat Paws Cyprus and the vice-president of Cyprus Voice for Animals, both animal rights campaign groups, said the virus had killed 300,000 cats on the island since January.
Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore, a specialist in feline medicine at the University of Edinburgh, told The Daily Telegraph that the size of the outbreak had