Anyone With Experience With Fip?

[mikameek]

My roommate has a 1 year old baby named Luna. She's super precious but has always had this spunk about her that made her so much fun to be around! I found out not that long ago that Luna was diagnosed with FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). My roommate says that because it's already mutated into FIP from the original virus that she is no longer contagious. However, as some of you know, Mika has been incredibly sick within this past month with gallbladder and liver issues (plus a UTI, bless her heart) and is finally starting to show real signs she's on the road to recovery. My roommate says that she's not contagious but we all have to be hyper vigilant that the cats don't share litter boxes, do not eat from the same bowl, drink from the same water or bowl, and they can't be rough with each other (All of which is tricky, but the rough part much more so because Luna is extra cranky recently). My roommate says its because Luna is on steroids so her immune system is shot, but the literal name of this disease has infectious in it. Can anyone give me any reassurance or knowledge they have about this?

I know it's fatal so I'm feeling extra paranoid.

 

[catwoman707]

I can definitely understand the paranoia.
I'm not sure how much you know about FIP so I will keep it simple, as much as I can at least.

FIP is mutated from corona virus, a mild weak virus that is highly contagious, nearly all cats have exposure to the virus during their life, and most of the time the owner won't even know it because it is a mild virus, often with virtually no symptoms, or maybe the cat seemingly under the weather for a couple days, but that's really all.
The immune system chases it out of the body and leaves no traces behind.
However, in cats with weaker immune systems as kittens have, their under-developed immunity can allow the corona virus to stick around in the system, lying dormant until it chooses to surface and start it's deadly destruction.
Because high levels of stress that is ongoing, such as in a shelter environment, will weaken a cat's immune system, the majority of FIP shows up in kittens about 18 months and under. The combination of a kittens immature system, and the high stress of shelter life makes them the highest target of developing FIP.
Meaning I would guess there is a good chance Luna was in a shelter as a kitten, am I correct?
Nearly 100% of cats/kittens are exposed to corona virus while at the shelter.
Over-populated homes have the same effect as a shelter does too.

FIP having the name infectious does not mean contagious. It is an individual response to the corona virus, which IS highly contagious.

There is a very good chance that your cat has already been exposed to corona.
There is a titer test that can confirm prior exposure that you might choose to get done to help ease your mind.

Occasionally there will be 2 cases in one home of FIP, but is proven to not have been transferred from one cat to another, as it mutates and attacks different organs, if it had been transferred experts say it would attack the very same organs as the other cat has.

Also, if the 2 cats in your home have shared their space and dishes, as well as contact with your clothing etc, prior to the FIP diagnosis of Luna, then your cat has already been exposed to corona. The virus lives for 2-3 hours outside but up to 7 weeks in the environment and on surfaces.

I would not stress over this, personally I don't believe there is any threat to your cat.

 

[mikameek]

I can definitely understand the paranoia.
I'm not sure how much you know about FIP so I will keep it simple, as much as I can at least.

FIP is mutated from corona virus, a mild weak virus that is highly contagious, nearly all cats have exposure to the virus during their life, and most of the time the owner won't even know it because it is a mild virus, often with virtually no symptoms, or maybe the cat seemingly under the weather for a couple days, but that's really all.
The immune system chases it out of the body and leaves no traces behind.
However, in cats with weaker immune systems as kittens have, their under-developed immunity can allow the corona virus to stick around in the system, lying dormant until it chooses to surface and start it's deadly destruction.
Because high levels of stress that is ongoing, such as in a shelter environment, will weaken a cat's immune system, the majority of FIP shows up in kittens about 18 months and under. The combination of a kittens immature system, and the high stress of shelter life makes them the highest target of developing FIP.
Meaning I would guess there is a good chance Luna was in a shelter as a kitten, am I correct?
Nearly 100% of cats/kittens are exposed to corona virus while at the shelter.
Over-populated homes have the same effect as a shelter does too.

FIP having the name infectious does not mean contagious. It is an individual response to the corona virus, which IS highly contagious.

There is a very good chance that your cat has already been exposed to corona.
There is a titer test that can confirm prior exposure that you might choose to get done to help ease your mind.

Occasionally there will be 2 cases in one home of FIP, but is proven to not have been transferred from one cat to another, as it mutates and attacks different organs, if it had been transferred experts say it would attack the very same organs as the other cat has.

Also, if the 2 cats in your home have shared their space and dishes, as well as contact with your clothing etc, prior to the FIP diagnosis of Luna, then your cat has already been exposed to corona. The virus lives for 2-3 weeks in the environment and on surfaces.

I would not stress over this, personally I don't believe there is any threat to your cat.

You're correct that Luna came from a shelter. This has made me feel much better about the chances of Mika contracting this.

Should I be worried that Mika could contract the virus again? Her immune system is also on overload with all the problems that she has had so I don't want her to catch something else if it's possible.

Also, is there a way to know when you get a cat from a shelter that they'll contract FIP or no? Is there a way to prevent them from getting FIP at all?

I appreciate your knowledge on this!

 

[catwoman707]

Technically the virus can be contracted again since there are several strains.
However, it is highly likely your cat has already contracted the corona virus that caused Luna's FIP.

How long has Luna been in the home?
Do they get along?

There is no way of knowing whether a cat exposed to corona virus will end up with FIP. I would guess the shorter their stay in a shelter the better the chance will be that they pass the virus through their system and don't develop FIP.
But this is not set in stone, it's basically the less stress they encounter, the less the chance will be of FIP.

In my first post I also meant to add that often times kittens will come to the shelter from being born outdoors, maybe to a feral mama cat, and some have an upper respiratory infection (cold) which is another reason for them to end up with FIP, a cold, stressful shelter, young age. Bam, ideal for FIP candidates.

I think really the only thing I would do in your situation would be to disinfect the litter box 2x a week. This is mainly where corona virus is picked up.
Or if possible, keep your cat from using it, which is hard to do.

If they have been living together for a while now it's quite likely she has already been exposed to it and either won't contract the virus or had it and passed it on already.

 

[mikameek]

Technically the virus can be contracted again since there are several strains.
However, it is highly likely your cat has already contracted the corona virus that caused Luna's FIP.

How long has Luna been in the home?
Do they get along?

There is no way of knowing whether a cat exposed to corona virus will end up with FIP. I would guess the shorter their stay in a shelter the better the chance will be that they pass the virus through their system and don't develop FIP.
But this is not set in stone, it's basically the less stress they encounter, the less the chance will be of FIP.

In my first post I also meant to add that often times kittens will come to the shelter from being born outdoors, maybe to a feral mama cat, and some have an upper respiratory infection (cold) which is another reason for them to end up with FIP, a cold, stressful shelter, young age. Bam, ideal for FIP candidates.

I think really the only thing I would do in your situation would be to disinfect the litter box 2x a week. This is mainly where corona virus is picked up.
Or if possible, keep your cat from using it, which is hard to do.

If they have been living together for a while now it's quite likely she has already been exposed to it and either won't contract the virus or had it and passed it on already.

Luna arrived before Mika did. Mika was only in the apartment for a month with Luna before we all left for summer vacation. I stayed at my parents place longer than anticipated because Mika was so sick.

They got along fine before Mika's recent return. They slept together a lot and played some because Luna was already showing symptoms before we left (lack of appetite, lack of energy, lethargic). Now Luna hisses at Mika anytime she sees her (in fact, multiple times, even if Mika isn't anywhere near Luna, but Luna is hissing at basically anything that moves) and will swat if Mika gets too close.

We do think Luna was originally born feral because was incredibly food sensitive. She never really got the understanding that there would be constant food for her so she always scavenged.

They aren't using the same litter boxes and everyone in the apartment is making sure that everyone uses their own everything (food, bowls, syringes, everything).

I got Mika off the street so it's more likely Mika has already been exposed to the corona virus and she's gotten antibodies to it, right? She's also 3 which is out of range for FIP (though, I read a story recently about a 5 year old being diagnosed with dry FIP).

 

[catwoman707]

Pretty sure then that Mika has been exposed long ago. Also exposed to Luna's too.
It's rare for cats to get FIP after 3 years, the large majority is between 4 and 8 months or so, but is not uncommon to see at 18 months either.
I think Mika will be fine.
Her hissing is due to Luna going to the vet, the smell from that.

 

[mikameek]

Pretty sure then that Mika has been exposed long ago. Also exposed to Luna's too.
It's rare for cats to get FIP after 3 years, the large majority is between 4 and 8 months or so, but is not uncommon to see at 18 months either.
I think Mika will be fine.
Her hissing is due to Luna going to the vet, the smell from that.

Thank you for all your advice and knowledge on this! You really helped putting my mind to ease on this!

 

[Blakeney Green]

I've seen a lot of FIP working at an animal shelter. I don't think you need to worry. I'm sorry to hear about Luna, but Mika will almost certainly be fine.

FIP cannot be passed directly from one cat to another. FIP is a mutation of the coronavirus. Corona passes easily from cat to cat, but the majority of cats with corona live completely normal lives and it never affects them. Around 80% of cats in multi-cat environments are already corona positive and the vast majority never develop FIP.

It's not currently known why some cats develop the FIP mutation, so there is no way to test for it. It is possible to test for coronavirus, but most vets and owners find the test to be pretty pointless because the majority will come back positive and will never cause an issue. Personally I would not recommend the test; it doesn't give you any useful information and will likely cause unnecessary worry.

I assume all of my cats are corona positive because they were from shelters or a stray. I hope they don't ever get FIP, but unfortunately that heartbreak is just a risk any cat owner runs.

I fully understand your worry but I don't think you need to fret about it. Mika is probably already corona positive and it will probably never negatively affect her.

 

[catwoman707]

You're very welcome and glad I was able to help put your mind at ease!