Some people who’ve suffered through COVID-19 never quite feel 100 percent, stuck in the throes of a medical mystery centered around an impaired immune system. Long COVID isn’t fully understood yet, but scientists are closing in on crucial clues by investigating a similar phenomenon in cats.

A new study published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine explains how a relatively rare feline disease is almost like a cat version of long COVID. Similar to severe coronavirus infections in humans, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) sends cats’ immune system off-kilter. Therapy involving mesenchymal stromal cells, however, has shown promise in restoring immune function in cats, potentially serving as a blueprint for long COVID research.