FCOV infection - adopting second cat

[Betuncay]

Hello everyone,

my cat Luna is 2 years old and she had feline coronavirus infection when she was kitten. She is healthy now and she was my only cat for 2 years. Yesterday I adopted a 3 month old male kitten and he is FCOV negative. Does this mean my new kitten will get FCOV from my first cat? Do you think she is still shedding the virus after almost 22 months? I’m concerned, not only my kitten experienced it heavily, also because of FIP risk.

Wanted to show you their pictures

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A large percentage of FCoV infected cats are carriers; they shed the virus in their feces, which can infect other cats even though they have become asymptomatic. So, I believe the simple answer to your question is - yes, your new kitten could contract the virus from Luna.

Because FCoV is so prevalent in cats, it is surprising that your new kitten doesn't already have the virus.

Are you aware that a vast majority of cats have FCoV? Only a small number (up to about 10%) of FCoV infected cats will ever develop FIP, with eighty per cent of cats under the age of 24 months. So, your biggest issue is likely because of how young your kitten is.

Maybe this article will help, as it explains in better details about FCoV infected cats and transmission.
Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) RT-PCR | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine