FIP Felv advice please

vr1994

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Hi, I hope I am allowed to post this. I am looking for some advice on FIP and other cat viruses.

My kitten sadly passed away at just over 5 months old and I suspect it was FIP although not confirmed - We did not even make it to the vets before she died.

She was with me for a very short period (less than 2 weeks) but it has absolutely broken my heart as she was the most affectionate and beautiful kitten I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

I am not planning on getting another cat for a while as I am still grieving but want to know as much as I can before I do.

My main concern is the spreading of these viruses, I have done plenty of research and admittedly did not know a lot about FIP etc previously. I only intend to keep the cat inside, but I have a springer spaniel and I am worried about her bringing in the virus from outside (like if she steps in cat poop outside or in the garden). Are there any ways to avoid this or lower the chances of this happening? All our floor downstairs is wood and easily disinfected however the top floors and stairs are carpeted. I know the virus can survive up to 7 weeks on surfaces. Does anyone have any advice or experience they can share please, am I being overly paranoid?

Thank you
 

BlackCatOp

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I’m so sorry for your loss.

As far as FIP, the disease is caused by a mutation in a (feline) coronavirus. The coronavirus is a common virus that causes GI signs during initial infection. Many cats recover without treatment. However, for a small population of cat, the virus mutates at some point (can be years after initial infection) and causes FIP.

FIP has two forms (wet vs dry) depending on presents of fluid accumulation within body spaces. The dry version has shown promise recently with experimental treatment.

FELV is a completely different disease caused by a retrovirus. Thus, similar to HIV in people, once infected the kitty has the disease for life. The determination on if kitty becomes infected is complex and depends on many factors including a kitty’s own immune system. Not all cats exposed are infected and not all cats that test positive on point of care tests have progressive FeLv.

FeLv is spread from general cat to cat contact (shared eating spaces, grooming and litter boxes). In multiple cat house holds it’s important to know the status of the new member to prevent spreading the disease to existing cats. Progressive FeLv causes anemia, leukemia and death — most succumb by age 3. In regressive FeLv, most cats can live a normal life with the understanding that the disease can weaken the immune system.
 
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vr1994

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I’m so sorry for your loss.

As far as FIP, the disease is caused by a mutation in a (feline) coronavirus. The coronavirus is a common virus that causes GI signs during initial infection. Many cats recover without treatment. However, for a small population of cat, the virus mutates at some point (can be years after initial infection) and causes FIP.

FIP has two forms (wet vs dry) depending on presents of fluid accumulation within body spaces. The dry version has shown promise recently with experimental treatment.

FELV is a completely different disease caused by a retrovirus. Thus, similar to HIV in people, once infected the kitty has the disease for life. The determination on if kitty becomes infected is complex and depends on many factors including a kitty’s own immune system. Not all cats exposed are infected and not all cats that test positive on point of care tests have progressive FeLv.

FeLv is spread from general cat to cat contact (shared eating spaces, grooming and litter boxes). In multiple cat house holds it’s important to know the status of the new member to prevent spreading the disease to existing cats. Progressive FeLv causes anemia, leukemia and death — most succumb by age 3. In regressive FeLv, most cats can live a normal life with the understanding that the disease can weaken the immune system.
Thank you so much for the response. While we do have another cat (well she is a stray but we have been feeding her) she absolutely hates being inside the house. They wouldn't come into contact at any point either directly/feeding/litter tray etc. I am just worried about dragging something in from the outside but I guess none of us could have cats if we went by that logic lol.
I am just extremely paranoid at the moment with what's happened.
 

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Welcome to The Cat Site! I am very sorry for your loss. It is very hard to lose any animal, but something about a young one can be very hard to reconcile. I don't think that you are being paranoid but are trying to be logically cautious. As for your spaniel, I have had dogs for my entire life, before I even had cats. At no time has a cat ever lived in my house without the presence of a dog who was walked daily on public streets. There are a lot of theoretical problems that never happen and I have never had a cat become sick from any contact with a dog or its whereabouts. If it would ease your mind, the dog could be trained to wait before coming in so that his paws and legs could be cleaned.
 
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vr1994

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Welcome to The Cat Site! I am very sorry for your loss. It is very hard to lose any animal, but something about a young one can be very hard to reconcile. I don't think that you are being paranoid but are trying to be logically cautious. As for your spaniel, I have had dogs for my entire life, before I even had cats. At no time has a cat ever lived in my house without the presence of a dog who was walked daily on public streets. There are a lot of theoretical problems that never happen and I have never had a cat become sick from any contact with a dog or its whereabouts. If it would ease your mind, the dog could be trained to wait before coming in so that his paws and legs could be cleaned.
Thank you it really means a lot to me and your response has put me at ease. We always wash our dogs paws after a walk so she's okay with that - she's always filthy because mud and puddles are her favourite thing.

I cried for days when she passed away, but I am slowly coming to terms with it. I still feel extremely sad most days and miss her all the time, and I hope she knew how very loved she was even though it was so short. This was one of our last cuddles, I will never forget her.
 

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fionasmom

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Such a beautiful baby! She looks as if she completely understands that you love her and are caring for her. An ER vet once told me that dogs and cats live in the present, despite any hard times in the past, and that they do not measure time like humans do. Her two weeks with you were those of complete happiness.
 

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You can get a vaccine to protect against Felv as well, though of course its not 100% effective it should lower her chances of contracting it.
 

Heart For Cats

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Hi, I hope I am allowed to post this. I am looking for some advice on FIP and other cat viruses.

My kitten sadly passed away at just over 5 months old and I suspect it was FIP although not confirmed. We did not even make it to the vets before she died.

She was with me for a very short period (less than 2 weeks) but it has absolutely broken my heart as she was the most affectionate and beautiful kitten I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Of course you are allowed to post here! I know some TCS members have or had cats with FIP Also feel free to post memories of you cat in the Crossing the Bridge section, which is for cat memorials.

I am sorry for your loss.
I am not planning on getting another cat for a while as I am still grieving but want to know as much as I can before I do.
That is completely normal. Grief is not a straight timeline, no matter what anyone says about the "five stages" and "time heals." You have every right to cry all you want to when nobody is watching and yell when nobody is within earshot. Prayer is powerful too if you believe in God. Whenever you are ready to look for a cat, we will all be here for you to help. In the meantime, you have support from all of us.
My main concern is the spreading of these viruses, I have done plenty of research and admittedly did not know a lot about FIP etc previously.
People whose cats have FIP already started threads on the topic, so you can get more information right here on TCS. I would only worry about FIP after a cat tests positive; you just need to use common sense to prevent that from happening.

Why do you suspect the cause of death was FIP?
 
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vr1994

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You can get a vaccine to protect against Felv as well, though of course its not 100% effective it should lower her chances of contracting it.
Hi she was booked in at the vets to have her vaccinations and microchip done in a weeks time. Unfortunately she never made it. The breeder said there was no need as she was an indoor cat but i wanted her to have all the vaccinations available just in case. I will only get a kitten now from a reputable registered breeder as i cannot go through this again. It has absolutely broken my heart but i blame myself mostly as i should have done my research.
 
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vr1994

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Such a beautiful baby! She looks as if she completely understands that you love her and are caring for her. An ER vet once told me that dogs and cats live in the present, despite any hard times in the past, and that they do not measure time like humans do. Her two weeks with you were those of complete happiness.
She was an absolute sweetheart, she had me wrapped around her little finger from day 1 ❤
 
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vr1994

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Of course you are allowed to post here! I know some TCS members have or had cats with FIP Also feel free to post memories of you cat in the Crossing the Bridge section, which is for cat memorials.

I am sorry for your loss.


That is completely normal. Grief is not a straight timeline, no matter what anyone says about the "five stages" and "time heals." You have every right to cry all you want to when nobody is watching and yell when nobody is within earshot. Prayer is powerful too if you believe in God. Whenever you are ready to look for a cat, we will all be here for you to help. In the meantime, you have support from all of us.


People whose cats have FIP already started threads on the topic, so you can get more information right here on TCS. I would only worry about FIP after a cat tests positive; you just need to use common sense to prevent that from happening.

Why do you suspect the cause of death was FIP?
Thank you very much for your kind words, it really means a lot to me. I will definitely check out those threads, i want to be as prepared as i can.

As for the Crossing the bridge section, i have seen it but i am not brave enough to venture in yet. I think it would send me into another breakdown. I think i need a bit more time.

With the symptoms, she did not really have any right up until she passed away. A week after rehoming her i took her to the vets, just for a general checkup & to book her in for vaccinations and microchip. Got her weighed, heart & lungs listened to, chatted to the vet about diet and getting her spayed in the future. I was not really worried about her at this point but i did notice sometimes she would breathe quite quickly (to me anyway). I brought this up at the vet app but they couldn't really see anything wrong with her and her breathing/lungs were clear and fine on the day. They asked if she was drinking, eating and going toilet ok which she was. I queried this with the lady i got her from but she never replied to me. She only had her for a month and apparently her other cat did not like her which is why she put her up for sale.

About 5 days later, my kittens appetite and activity decreased. We were having a heatwave here in the UK that day, and stupidly i thought this was the reason being a fairly long haired cat. The next day i woke up and found her dead. I think her previous owner may have suspected something is wrong with her, and wanted to get their money back at least. Her behaviour in general and the photos she sent me, i don't think the cats had an issue with each other. Of course i may be completely wrong and i am not blaming her, it just felt odd that she seemed to sort of want to get rid of her quickly, didn't ask any questions about me/my other pets etc. And she never replied which just made me think she did not care. I have told her that it would be a good idea to take her other cat to the vet/keep a closer eye on her in case it was anything contagious.

I read somewhere that FIP is often called the purring disease, and my girl purred a lot. Sometimes when i wasn't even touching her or close to her. I think her chest/belly was also quite swollen when i found her but to be honest i could not look at her long once she passed, it was just too painful.
 

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I am so sorry for your loss. That sounds meaningless, unless the author has gone through it, themselves. I have, and I am so sorry.

I have no words of advice, just ((( Hugs))))

money thing I wanted to point out: if you got your little Angel from a breeder, or any place where they have cats; they need to be aware of this so that special accommodations and cleaning of the kitty area. All adopters shyness informed of this.

again, (((hugs)))
 
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vr1994

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I am so sorry for your loss. That sounds meaningless, unless the author has gone through it, themselves. I have, and I am so sorry.

I have no words of advice, just ((( Hugs))))

money thing I wanted to point out: if you got your little Angel from a breeder, or any place where they have cats; they need to be aware of this so that special accommodations and cleaning of the kitty area. All adopters shyness informed of this.

again, (((hugs)))
Hi, she is not a breeder, she only had the kitten for a month before selling to me, however she does have another cat so I have messaged her about what has happened. Many thanks for your kindness, it really does break your heart.
 

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You have done your part in letting the woman know about your cat. As I read your story, I do have to agree with your theory that something was wrong from the beginning. If that were true, it was a hugely mean thing to do to someone. Your little kitten spent her few days with someone who really loved her, and to her, that was unbelievably precious.
 

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Hi she was booked in at the vets to have her vaccinations and microchip done in a weeks time. Unfortunately she never made it. The breeder said there was no need as she was an indoor cat but i wanted her to have all the vaccinations available just in case. I will only get a kitten now from a reputable registered breeder as i cannot go through this again. It has absolutely broken my heart but i blame myself mostly as i should have done my research.
Oh absolutely, what happened was not your fault. I just meant for future cats if you are worried about them contracting it :)
 
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vr1994

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Oh absolutely, what happened was not your fault. I just meant for future cats if you are worried about them contracting it :)
Oh definitely, i really appreciate everyone taking time to respond to me and their advice 😊 i just wish i could have done more for her
 

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Oh definitely, i really appreciate everyone taking time to respond to me and their advice 😊 i just wish i could have done more for her

I am crying & tearing up reading/typing this.. im so sorry for your loss :< I hope you understand you are wonderful and that the baby was in such good hands to have found you. <3
 
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vr1994

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I am crying & tearing up reading/typing this.. im so sorry for your loss :< I hope you understand you are wonderful and that the baby was in such good hands to have found you. <3
Thank you so much. Please don't be sad, i do take some comfort knowing that in her final days i gave her all the love i possibly could and i am sure she knew.
She was extremely special, it's like she knew what i was feeling and always came over for a cuddle when i needed it most. No other cat will ever replace her, but i think that once i get another baby, i will appreciate my time with him/her even more having gone through this. I've never really believed in soul mates, but if there is such a thing in the animal world, she was it 💕
 
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