Morris Animal Foundation and EveryCat Health Foundation Join Forces to Fight Deadly Disease

Morris Animal Foundation, a global leader in funding studies that benefit animal health and EveryCat Health Foundation, a leading nonprofit advancing feline health through research and education, have teamed up to address the outbreak of a new form of feline infectious peritonitis, a deadly disease caused by a coronavirus, in Cyprus.

“Combining efforts with Morris Animal Foundation on this urgent matter is instrumental in benefiting the lives of cats and the people who love them – throughout the world. Each foundation brings complementary strengths to the table – and together we are stronger, faster. We are grateful for this opportunity and for the collective community support of the endeavor,” said Jackie Ott Jaakola, Executive Director of EveryCat Health Foundation.

An international consortium of researchers, led by Dr. Gregg Dean at Colorado State University, are collaborating on a multifaceted program to diagnose, treat and prevent this deadly viral disease. EveryCat Health Foundation and Morris Animal Foundation are co-funding this $1 million program in a first-of-its-kind initiative.

“It’s important to acknowledge the veterinarians and researchers of Cyprus who recognized this unusual outbreak of FIP and initiated preliminary studies,” said Dean. “Likewise, the collaboration between Morris Animal Foundation and EveryCat Health Foundation is unprecedented. Their support will allow our international consortium to understand and mitigate the Cyprus outbreak while also providing knowledge, tools and resources to better address FIP around the world.”

In early 2023, there were reports of an outbreak of an FIP-like illness affecting large numbers of cats in Cyprus. Given what was known about FIP, this was both unusual and alarming.

In the past year, researchers worldwide have joined together to investigate the Cyprus outbreak and determine its significance for cat populations worldwide.

“We are pleased to partner with EveryCat Health Foundation and an exceptional international research team to tackle this deadly feline virus,” said Dr. Kathy Tietje, Chief Program Officer at Morris Animal Foundation. “Our organizations have unique strengths and a shared mission to improve feline health through innovative science and by joining together we can have a greater impact on this serious health threat.”

Feline infectious peritonitis is a disease caused by a coronavirus that mutates frequently. Normally, FIP infection causes severe disease in only a small percentage of cats, but the mutation discovered in 2023 in Cyprus seems to cause higher rates of severe disease and death.

“This partnership has brought together experts from around the world and provided the necessary resources to address this health crisis,” added Tietje.