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Scientist's cat discovers a new virus, AGAIN [1]
['Gail Sherman']
Date: 2025-07-14
Pepper the cat made headlines last year when a mouse he caught tested positive for a type of jeilongvirus, which had never been seen before in the United States. Now, he has done it again, this time discovering a previously unknown strain of orthoreovirus, a type of virus that can infect humans, white-tailed deer, bats, and other mammals.
Pepper presented a gift in the form of a deceased shrew, as cats do. His owner, Dr. John Lednicky, a virologist at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, as any scientist would, took the shrew to the lab and tested it. "This was an opportunistic study," Lednicky said. "If you come across a dead animal, why not test it instead of just burying it? There is a lot of information that can be gained."
The university has assured the public that Pepper "… has shown no signs of illness from his outdoor adventures and will likely continue to contribute to scientific discovery through specimen collection." However, in a disappointing omission, Pepper is not listed as a co-author on the paper detailing the genome of the virus. If Pepper discovers his contribution is uncredited, I doubt he will continue to participate.
Previously:
• A struggling restaurant was saved by the power of cats
• A quick lesson on the best way to give a cat a pill (can it really be this easy?)
• Historic cat opera performance proves humans can out-meow actual cats (video)
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