Background: Clinical remission is frequent in cats with well‐controlled diabetes mellitus, but few studies explored predictors of this phenomenon. Hypothesis: Data retrieved from medical records at admission might be valuable to identify likelihood of remission and its duration in diabetic cats. Animals: Ninety cats with newly diagnosed diabetes, followed‐up until death or remission. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Data were collected from records at admission, including history, signalment, physical examination, haematology, and biochemical profile, and the occurrence and duration of remission, defined as normoglycemia without insulin for ≥4 weeks. Predictors of remission were studied with univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Factors associated with remission duration were analyzed with Kaplan‐Meier and Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Forty‐five (50%) cats achieved remission, after a median time of 48 days (range: 8–216). By study end, median remission duration was 114 days (range: 30–3,370) in cats that died and 151 days (range: 28–1,180) in alive cats. Remission was more likely with higher age (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04–1.46; P= .01) and less likely with increased serum cholesterol (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.11–0.87; P= .04). Remission was longer with higher body weight (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.42–0.99; P= .04) and shorter with higher blood glucose (HR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00–1.02; P= .02). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Age, body weight, cholesterol, and glucose levels are suggested for prediction of remission or its duration in diabetic cats. Older cats developing diabetes may have a better outcome, possibly suggesting a slower disease progression.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people globally since its first detection in late 2019. Besides humans, cats and, to some extent, dogs were shown to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the need for surveillance in a One Health context. Seven veterinary clinics from regions with high incidences of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were recruited during the early pandemic (March to July 2020) for the screening of patients. A total of 2257 oropharyngeal and nasal swab specimen from 877 dogs and 260 cats (including 18 animals from COVID-19-affected households and 92 animals with signs of respiratory disease) were analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) targeting the viral envelope (E) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) genes. One oropharyngeal swab from an Italian cat, living in a COVID-19-affected household in Piedmont, tested positive in RT-qPCR (1/260; 0.38%, 95% CI: 0.01–2.1%), and SARS-CoV-2 infection of the animal was serologically confirmed six months later. One oropharyngeal swab from a dog was potentially positive (1/877; 0.1%, 95% CI: 0.002–0.63%), but the result was not confirmed in a reference laboratory. Analyses of convenience sera from 118 animals identified one dog (1/94; 1.1%; 95% CI: 0.02–5.7%) from Lombardy, but no cats (0/24), as positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) antibodies and neutralizing activity. These findings support the hypothesis that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pet cat and dog populations, and hence, the risk of zoonotic transmission to veterinary staff, was low during the first wave of the pandemic, even in hotspot areas.

Background Right ventricular (RV) enlargement and dysfunction are associated with prognosis in humans with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Hypothesis/Objectives To assess RV size and systolic function in dogs with PH and to determine if they are associated with disease severity and right‐sided congestive heart failure (R‐CHF). Animals 89 dogs with PH and 74 healthy dogs. Methods Prospective observational study. PH was classified according to the tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient. RV end‐diastolic area (RVEDA) index was calculated as RVEDA divided by body surface area. RV systolic function was assessed with the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and the RV fractional area change (FAC) normalized for body weight (TAPSEn and FACn, respectively). Results RVEDA index was higher in dogs with moderate PH (10.8 cm²/m²; range, 6.2‐14.4 cm²/m²) and severe PH (12.4 cm²/m²; range, 7.7‐21.4 cm²/m²) than in those with mild PH (8.4 cm²/m²; range, 4.8‐11.6 cm²/m²) and control dogs (8.5 cm²/m²; range, 2.8‐11.6 cm²/m²; P < .001). RVEDA index was significantly higher in dogs with R‐CHF (13.7 cm²/m²; range, 11.0‐21.4 cm²/m²) than in dogs without R‐CHF (9.4 cm²/m²; range, 4.8‐17.1 cm²/m²; P < .001). The severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) was the only independent predictor of the RVEDA index (P < .001). TAPSEn and FACn were not significantly different among varying degrees of PH severity and between dogs with and without R‐CHF. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The RVEDA index can be used to evaluate RV size in dogs. It can provide additional information in dogs with PH and predict R‐CHF. Severity of TR is the main determinant of RV enlargement in dogs with PH.

Since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was first identified in early 2020, rare cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in pet cats have been reported worldwide. Some reports of cats with SARS-CoV-2 showed self-limiting respiratory or gastrointestinal disease after suspected human-to-feline transmission via close contact with humans with SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we investigated a cat with SARS-CoV-2 that was presented to a private animal clinic in Northern Italy in May 2020 in a weak clinical condition due to an underlying intestinal B-cell lymphoma. The cat developed signs of respiratory tract disease, including a sneeze, a cough and ocular discharge, three days after an oropharyngeal swab tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA using two real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays for the envelope (E) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was detectable prior to the onset of clinical signs. Five and six months after positive molecular results, the serological testing substantiated the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the cat with the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies and neutralizing activity in a surrogate virus neutralization assay (sVNT). To the best of our knowledge, this extends the known duration of seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 in a cat. Our study provides further evidence that cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 under natural conditions and strengthens the assumption that comorbidities may play a role in the development of clinical disease.