Cyprus becoming "island of dead cats" after 300,000 die from feline coronavirus

There are fears a type of feline coronavirus may kill cat populations across the world if it continues to spread. Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is not transmissible to humans, is estimated to have killed thousands of cats on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus in recent months. So far just 107 cases of FIP have been officially recorded by the agriculture ministry in the southern part of the island, but experts think the true number is much higher owing to the country’s huge stray cat population. Head of Cat Protection and Welfare Society (PAWS) Cyprus, and vice-president of Cyprus Voice for Animals, Dinos Ayiomamitis, said: ‘We have lost 300,000 cats since January from FIP.’ Cyprus is known by some as the "island of cats" because it features the earliest known evidence of the domestication of the animal 9,500 years ago.

tips

feline：猫科的

coronavirus：冠状病毒🦠（corona-，corolla-，= wreath，crown，花冠，花环）

agriculture：农业

owe：归功于（blame）

stray：浪子；迷途的

domestication：驯养；驯化

domestic：国内的；驯养的