More than a million cats freely roam the island of Cyprus. But, earlier this year stray, feral and pet cats were dying by the thousands. Lab testing confirmed feline infectious peritonitis that, if left untreated is almost 100 percent fatal. FIP is caused by a virus that infects cats, not humans, and is related to SARS-CoV-2. This similarity is enough that Covid antivirals are effective against the disease.
Source: The Atlantic, September 18, 2023. Link. In late 2020, as new COVID antivirals such as molnupiravir began generating buzz, Chinese manufacturers once again saw the potential for FIP. A company began selling unlicensed molnupiravir to overseas cat owners, touting an unpublished study in which 286 cats were fully cured. Who knows how much stock to take in this, but remarkably, peer-reviewed research has since validated the effectiveness of the drug.