Feline morbillivirus (FmoPV) is a new virus species that was first discovered in Hong Kong in 2012. Study of FmoPV is important because relationship between its infection and tubulointerstitial nephritis in cats was implicated in the first report. We attempted to develop a genetic detection system based on the consensus sequence of 9 FmoPV genomic sequences in the L gene, since there were FmoPV strains undetectable by the previous RT-PCR system. When 83 samples were tested with this system, we detected 4 new FmoPV strains previously undetected by the previous RT-PCR. In order to develop an antibody detection system specific to a FmoPV-antigen, we expressed a recombinant FmoPV P protein in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione-S-transferase and developed an ELISA with the purified P protein. We detected FmoPV in 82% (26/34) of formalin-fixed kidney samples from cats suffered from nephritis, suggesting correlation between FmoPV infection and chronic nephritis. We are currently attempting to develop model systems to study FmoPV’s pathogenicity using tissue culture cells or experimental animals.