Canine distemper, a fatal and highly transmissible disease caused by the canine distemper virus (CDV), poses a major threat to the companion animal industry. An urgent need exists for a rapid, specific, and simple method for the detection of this disease in order to improve its prevention and control. In this research, two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 1D3E9 and 1H9B7, were prepared, both of which specifically recognize the nucleoprotein (N protein) of CDV, and an immunochromatographic assay for CDV detection was subsequently developed using these mAbs. The results showed that both mAbs belong to the IgG1 subclass with kappa light chains. 1D3E9 was found to recognize the linear epitope ⁴¹⁰AGPKQSQITFLH⁴²¹, while 1H9B7 targeted the epitope ⁴⁵⁰HFNDERFPGH⁴⁵⁹. The test strips exhibited high specificity and good stability for up to two months when stored at 4, 25, and 37 °C. The assay exhibited a sensitivity of 10^2.39 TCID₅₀/0.1 mL. When compared with RT-PCR for detecting CDV in clinical samples, the concordance rate was 91.67%. Thus, this method shows great potential for facilitating rapid on-site detection of CDV and could be highly beneficial from the viewpoint of disease surveillance and control.

Feline panleukopenia is a highly contagious and often fatal disease in cats caused by the feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), a member of the Parvoviridae family. Despite the widespread use of vaccination, FPV remains a significant threat to both domestic and wild felid populations worldwide, particularly in young or unvaccinated animals. Effective vaccination strategies are therefore essential for controlling the disease and reducing mortality. Current vaccines, including modified live and inactivated vaccines, have demonstrated substantial efficacy in inducing protective immunity; however, several challenges remain, such as maternal antibody interference, vaccine failure, and safety concerns in certain animal populations. Recent advances in vaccine technology have spurred the development of next-generation FPV vaccines, including recombinant vectors, DNA vaccines, virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines, and novel delivery platforms. Among these, probiotic-based vaccine vectors have garnered growing interest due to their favorable safety profiles, mucosal immunogenicity, and suitability for oral administration. These systems may provide innovative approaches for inducing both systemic and mucosal immune responses against FPV. This review summarizes the current understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying protection against FPV infection and discusses the progress made in FPV vaccine development. Furthermore, it highlights the major challenges associated with current vaccination strategies and explores emerging vaccine platforms, including probiotic vector-based vaccines, as promising tools for future disease control. Improved vaccine design and optimized immunization strategies will be crucial for enhancing the prevention of feline panleukopenia in the future.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) is an important opportunistic pathogen in companion animals, and the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant strains highlights the need for alternative approaches to local infection control. This study evaluated a topical hydrogel containing feline-derived Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZYpet-014 and Aloe vera polysaccharides (AVEs) for the treatment of SP-infected wounds. AVEs promoted LP growth and organic-acid production and improved short-term LP viability within the carbomer hydrogel. The LP+AVE-hydrogel inhibited planktonic SP growth and biofilm formation in vitro and caused pronounced morphological disruption of SP cells. Therapeutic efficacy was further evaluated using a full-thickness murine wound model challenged with SP. LP+AVE treatment accelerated wound closure, reaching 95.75% by day 14, while qualitative histological observations suggested improved tissue organization and differences in collagen-associated staining patterns. Treatment was also associated with reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels and increased IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β1, and serum VEGF concentrations. In wound tissues, LP+AVE treatment decreased CD80 and increased CD206 immunoreactivity, consistent with a shift in macrophage-associated responses toward a reparative profile. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed reduced relative abundance of Staphylococcus and increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus in treated wounds. Together, these findings demonstrate antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against SP in vitro, accompanied by improved wound healing, modulation of inflammatory responses, and changes in wound microbial composition in vivo, although direct reduction in SP burden in wound tissue remains to be established.

The emotional benefits of pet ownership depend critically on the pet’s physical, behavioural, and cognitive health—all of which can be improved by targeted nutritional interventions that may reduce pain, anxiety, problem behaviours, and cognitive decline. However, almost no studies have tested whether nutrition-induced behavioural improvements translate into measurable gains in owner emotional well-being or relationship satisfaction. It is important to note that the evidence base for cats remains considerably more limited than that for dogs, and many conclusions drawn from canine studies should be extrapolated to cats with caution. Furthermore, the human–animal relationship is bidirectional: owner psychology and feeding practices feed back to affect pet health. This review synthesises evidence across veterinary medicine, nutritional science, and human- animal interaction research to support a central thesis: that the relational value of pet ownership may be a function of pet health, may be modifiable by targeted nutrition, and is hypothesized to be embedded in bidirectional feedback loops that require dyadic interventions. The review explicitly distinguishes between evidence-supported findings and the proposed conceptual framework. The field now requires dyadic randomised controlled trials with co-primary outcomes for both pet and owner, plus precision stratification, pragmatic effectiveness studies, mechanistic biomarkers, and one health approaches. Closing this translational gap requires a coordinated research effort focused on designing dyadic interventions that measurably improve the welfare of both pets and their owners.

Feline obesity is an increasingly prevalent health concern and is closely associated with metabolic disorders and intestinal dysbiosis. This study aimed to screen feline-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for bile salt hydrolase activity, in vitro cholesterol-removal capacity, and selected probiotic-associated characteristics. Approximately 700 LAB isolates were obtained from fecal samples of healthy domestic cats and evaluated for bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, among which 105 isolates were identified as BSH-positive. Further screening was performed based on BSH activity, cholesterol-removal capacity, adhesion-related properties, antioxidant activity, gastrointestinal tolerance, antibacterial activity, organic acid production, hemolytic activity, and antibiotic susceptibility. Three candidate strains were ultimately selected and preliminarily identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Enterococcus hirae C283, Ligilactobacillus animalis C289, and Enterococcus faecium C422. These strains exhibited BSH activity and preliminary in vitro cholesterol-removal phenotypes under the tested culture conditions, together with tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, and organic acid production. No hemolytic activity was detected; however, all three strains exhibited resistant or intermediate phenotypes to multiple antibiotics, highlighting the need for further genome-based safety assessment, particularly for the two Enterococcus strains. Overall, these findings identified feline-derived LAB candidates with BSH activity, preliminary in vitro cholesterol-removal phenotypes, and multiple probiotic-associated characteristics. However, these in vitro findings do not demonstrate regulation of host lipid metabolism or blood lipid levels. Comprehensive safety assessment, particularly for the Enterococcus strains, and in vivo validation are required before further application.