Hello, I'm wondering if there's anything I should keep in mind while disinfecting my apartment after the passing of my cat that suffered from FIP. The shelter recommends I wait three months so that the virus dies off before adopting again, which I plan to do. It gives me time to keep things as they are in my apartment before doing a thorough cleaning and removal of items that belonged to Angus. Any tips would help. I am a neat person, but I am slightly concerned about welcoming a new cat in my apartment because of the FIP.
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Cleaning up after FIP
- Thread starter ekekekek07
- Start Date
I am doing the same thing. I have thrown out all bedding, toys and litter boxes, anything really that could harbour the virus, and washed all surfaces with bleach. Fortunately I have tiled floors with a few rugs, which have all gone for dry cleaning, and Harry was in a separate part of the house to my own cats. My two foster kittens, who lived with him, have already tested positive for the virus, though not for FIP itself, and I shall have them till Easter, so I am not really sure how much further to go, apart from keeping them isolated from the other cats and then having another massive clean after they leave. I too would welcome any other tips.
When my cat died of FIP I threw out most of his stuff but I only waited a month to get another cat.
Most cats in the shelter either have or have come in contact with a coronavirus anyways so I really didn't see the point in waiting.
Most cats in the shelter either have or have come in contact with a coronavirus anyways so I really didn't see the point in waiting.
Many cats come into contact with feline coronavirus, and it's difficult if not impossible to eradicate from the cat population.
I've been reading that multi-cat households are most likely to have a problem with FCoV mutating to FIP because of shared litter boxes - they go in the litterbox, dig, get another cats poo on their paws and then clean it off with their tongue, increasing the 'viral load' of that particular virus in their bodies along with other bacteria putting more strain on the immune system, which increases the likelihood of it mutuating to FIP. Another factor may be feeding in the same room as a litter box, as spread of dust containing virus or bacteria in faeces can occur throughout the room when they dig in the litterbox. There is likely also a genetic factor making some cats more predisposed to it than others.
Having more litterboxes than cats and keeping absolutely scrupulous hygiene in terms of thorough cleaning (including areas around the boxes so use some sort of mat underneath that can be cleaned weekly at a high enough temperature to destroy viruses and bacteria) has been suggested as a way to keep FIP risk to a minimum in multicat households.
So I would say throw away any litterboxes that your FIP cat used, get any carpets in the area steam-cleaned, and just do a thorough clean using something mildly acidic which will kill viruses and bacteria (a vinegar solution for example) of hard surfaces.
I am very sorry for your loss - unfortunately FIP is just one of those things that is hard to prevent and that some cats are unfortunately more susceptible to than others - most cats carry the same virus that causes it without any sign of ill health.
I've been reading that multi-cat households are most likely to have a problem with FCoV mutating to FIP because of shared litter boxes - they go in the litterbox, dig, get another cats poo on their paws and then clean it off with their tongue, increasing the 'viral load' of that particular virus in their bodies along with other bacteria putting more strain on the immune system, which increases the likelihood of it mutuating to FIP. Another factor may be feeding in the same room as a litter box, as spread of dust containing virus or bacteria in faeces can occur throughout the room when they dig in the litterbox. There is likely also a genetic factor making some cats more predisposed to it than others.
Having more litterboxes than cats and keeping absolutely scrupulous hygiene in terms of thorough cleaning (including areas around the boxes so use some sort of mat underneath that can be cleaned weekly at a high enough temperature to destroy viruses and bacteria) has been suggested as a way to keep FIP risk to a minimum in multicat households.
So I would say throw away any litterboxes that your FIP cat used, get any carpets in the area steam-cleaned, and just do a thorough clean using something mildly acidic which will kill viruses and bacteria (a vinegar solution for example) of hard surfaces.
I am very sorry for your loss - unfortunately FIP is just one of those things that is hard to prevent and that some cats are unfortunately more susceptible to than others - most cats carry the same virus that causes it without any sign of ill health.
Thanks, Epona. Just one tip people may find useful, I have always used disposable puppy training pads under the litterboxes and food dishes, and change them every two or three days, more often if necessary. Easier to keep clean than mats. And I am sure covered litter boxes are a good idea to keep dust down.
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I'm glad to find this thread... I have heard everything from waiting six months (the internet) to waiting a couple weeks (my vet) to FIP not being contagious at all, only the more harmless virus that it mutates from (a rescue worker).
Can ANYONE give me some insight on this? I lost my six-month-old kitten to FIP a couple weeks ago, and really want to adopt another kitten, but I don't think I could handle losing another one from this virus.
Can ANYONE give me some insight on this? I lost my six-month-old kitten to FIP a couple weeks ago, and really want to adopt another kitten, but I don't think I could handle losing another one from this virus.
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my cat Louie started acting different a little over a week ago. I had been cleaning out some drawers and didn't realize he had jumped behind one and I kept trying to close it, he didn't cry out mat that time but a few days later every time I touched him he left out a pitiful cry. I took him to his vet , they didn't think anything was broke, so he got a pain shot and a few pills for inflammation and I took him home, he seemed a little better but a few hours later he was crying again, I took him back in and he had a fever of 104 so they kept him for 2 days , they got the fever down and I picked him up , hie still wasn't acting any better so I took him in the next mourning , that was Sunday ,this is wendnesday and he is still there and they can't get the fever to stay down, they have done blood, X-rays and all is normal,they mentioned the fip test yesterday and I went on line and read an article ,my heart sunk. I can't even call the office to see how he is,because I don't want to hear if that is it. I rescued him and 20 others last April and July I found homes for a few but still have 13' they have all been fixed and have had their shots and tested for feline lukemia and they were negative , I didn't even know about fip. I love them all so much, I can' stand the thought of losing any of them.
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Isulz, I am so sorry to hear about your cat's health trouble. I will send out some prayers that it is not FIP... is he having trouble breathing? That, besides lethargy and fever, was our first sign that our kitten, Bowski, was seriously ill. She had the wet form of FIP, but I have read that there is also a dry form that is harder to recognize.
I also wanted to return and post for anyone who is still wondering: My vet told me there is NOT a necessary time frame to wait after losing a cat to FIP (if they were the only cat in the household). They said FIP can be transferred oral/fecal, so we should throw out her litterbox and bowls and then wash what toys we could to be safe.
However, before we brought in another kitten (10 days after we lost Bowski), we washed all the floors with vinegar, disinfected our countertops, washed all our bedding and wiped down our furniture/upholstery with a combination of detergent and water. That was probably overkill, but we just wanted to be as careful as possible. I have read that most any kind of disinfectant or household cleaner will kill the virus on contact.
I also wanted to return and post for anyone who is still wondering: My vet told me there is NOT a necessary time frame to wait after losing a cat to FIP (if they were the only cat in the household). They said FIP can be transferred oral/fecal, so we should throw out her litterbox and bowls and then wash what toys we could to be safe.
However, before we brought in another kitten (10 days after we lost Bowski), we washed all the floors with vinegar, disinfected our countertops, washed all our bedding and wiped down our furniture/upholstery with a combination of detergent and water. That was probably overkill, but we just wanted to be as careful as possible. I have read that most any kind of disinfectant or household cleaner will kill the virus on contact.
My boyfriend and I just lost our 5 month old, Lynx, to the dry form of FIP. He and his liter (a brother and sister) were brought to the shelter at 5 weeks old, all of them with what seemed to be a normal eye infection which was treated and seemed to cured. We adopted our little guy at 8 weeks old as a perfectly happy, energetic, loving kitten who would be the start of our family together. Prior to adoption, he and his two siblings had been tested and found negative for FIP on three different occasions. About a week and a half after we had him his right eye swelled. We took him to the vets who noticed he had a slight temperature as well and assumed he had a form of feline herpes in the eye, triggered by stress of the new environment. We treated him and in a couple of days his eye was back to normal over the course of the next couple months, Lynx continuously suffered from his eye swelling and a persistent fever, trying several different types of antibiotics and steroids.
About 3 weeks ago, we noticed that he seemed a little less energetic. Concerned, we took him to the vets and had a number of blood test done, one being for FIP which seemed impossible since he had pass three times previously. Our hearts were broken when we got the results the next day; Lynx had FIP and the chances of survival is only 5%. Although his protein levels were significantly higher then normal and his fever was still lingering, Lynx still was acting like his usual sweet, happy, fun self other then being a little sleepier then usual. We decided with financial help from family to try three different drugs, one of which is still in the experimental phase, and learned how to give Lynx fluids every few days at home. We completely acknowledged that our efforts would probably not work, that the disease would inevitably shorten his life even if his system reacted positively to the medications, but Lynx was and still is our little baby and we wanted to know that we gave him every chance. By the second week after we found out, Lynx had become very sluggish, he stopped eating tuesday night, and by Wednesday our little guy couldn't walk without falling and both eyes were swollen. We would find out that his kidneys had failed from the elevated protein levels and he had had neurological damage due to imflamation throughout his body. We knew at that point it was his time to pass on. We spent the day with him on Thursday, taking off work to hug him and let him lay outside in the sun. He was put to sleep and cremated at the vets, we had his ashes back home with us by Saturday morning.
We both love animals and know that we will have another cat, but my biggest concern is that the virus will still be living somewhere within our apartment. The vets told us to wait a month for the virus to natural die, since it does not do well for very long outside of the body, but we are probably not going to get another cat for another few months just to be 100% sure. We have thrown away all off his toys, his scratching post, liter box, and food dishes, only keeping his favorite toy and collar to frame for us to have with his ashes. I have washed all of our bedding, since he would sleep under the covers with us at night, used spray lysol on the furniture and carpet, and scrubbed with clorox bleach the kitchen and bathroom. We still need to wash all of our clothes in the closet, since he used to climb on the shelves and hangers.
If you have noticed your cat not acting normal, having a fever, inflammation in the eyes, or trouble breathing, get them tested even if they have already passed as negative. It is a terrible disease that hit them hard and fast, so if you do decide to try medications to see if they help the sooner the better. We would not have traded the short time we had with Lynx for anything, we would not have change our minds about the medications even though we still lost him, because we at least tried everything we could and filled his short life with lots of love.
About 3 weeks ago, we noticed that he seemed a little less energetic. Concerned, we took him to the vets and had a number of blood test done, one being for FIP which seemed impossible since he had pass three times previously. Our hearts were broken when we got the results the next day; Lynx had FIP and the chances of survival is only 5%. Although his protein levels were significantly higher then normal and his fever was still lingering, Lynx still was acting like his usual sweet, happy, fun self other then being a little sleepier then usual. We decided with financial help from family to try three different drugs, one of which is still in the experimental phase, and learned how to give Lynx fluids every few days at home. We completely acknowledged that our efforts would probably not work, that the disease would inevitably shorten his life even if his system reacted positively to the medications, but Lynx was and still is our little baby and we wanted to know that we gave him every chance. By the second week after we found out, Lynx had become very sluggish, he stopped eating tuesday night, and by Wednesday our little guy couldn't walk without falling and both eyes were swollen. We would find out that his kidneys had failed from the elevated protein levels and he had had neurological damage due to imflamation throughout his body. We knew at that point it was his time to pass on. We spent the day with him on Thursday, taking off work to hug him and let him lay outside in the sun. He was put to sleep and cremated at the vets, we had his ashes back home with us by Saturday morning.
We both love animals and know that we will have another cat, but my biggest concern is that the virus will still be living somewhere within our apartment. The vets told us to wait a month for the virus to natural die, since it does not do well for very long outside of the body, but we are probably not going to get another cat for another few months just to be 100% sure. We have thrown away all off his toys, his scratching post, liter box, and food dishes, only keeping his favorite toy and collar to frame for us to have with his ashes. I have washed all of our bedding, since he would sleep under the covers with us at night, used spray lysol on the furniture and carpet, and scrubbed with clorox bleach the kitchen and bathroom. We still need to wash all of our clothes in the closet, since he used to climb on the shelves and hangers.
If you have noticed your cat not acting normal, having a fever, inflammation in the eyes, or trouble breathing, get them tested even if they have already passed as negative. It is a terrible disease that hit them hard and fast, so if you do decide to try medications to see if they help the sooner the better. We would not have traded the short time we had with Lynx for anything, we would not have change our minds about the medications even though we still lost him, because we at least tried everything we could and filled his short life with lots of love.
I just put my cat Cheeto down today due to this disease. Cheeto was a barn cat who nursed on several mothers, and had been around several Feral's. the vet said he likely had gotten it along the line somewhere. It's sad cause barn cats rock!!! They are just a different kinda laid back country boy kitty. I have two other cats one who just had three kittens. So now I wonder if they are infected too. The vet told me not to worry as it can stay dormant in some cats. The mother is older too, and I believe she passed her immunity to her babies
I had my 12 year old cat December for about 5 to 6 months. When I rescued him off the street, he was skin and bones and filthy. He was 5.1 and my vet said he had an inflamed GI tract and gave him fluid therapy, but otherwise seemed healthy, blood tests confirming he was FIV-. He was put on kitten food to help him recover the weight he had lost, as well as prescription canned Hill's (I think) rabbit and pea. He was put on a series of medicines. Long term, metronidazole, fortiflora, and prednisone. Short term being cerenia and reglan, as well as some antibiotics. I'm sure he had more, but I am unable to remember them. For months he had vomiting and occasional diarrhea, seemingly for no reason. I bought medicine when needed. He was gradually put on cat chow, as I figured that since he was out of danger of starvation (though still very skinny), kitten chow was not needed. He lost about .4lbs due to accidentally getting into raw chicken juice, a mistake my father made. He was put on the same prescription dry food that he was already eating as wet food. Every now and then he would reject the food completely and there was a week he didn't eat at all until I found out he wanted the cat chow. Other than his weight, occasional diarrhea (even with metronidazole, and even though nothing should've upset his stomach) and vomiting, he seemed like a really healthy cat.
I went on vacation for a week and a half, between May 23rd and June 3rd. During my vacation I called every few days. "Is he getting his medicine? Is he eating OK? What about his stool?" They told me he was eating fine, getting the medicine that was listed on the chart, and had no diarrhea. I was given some peace of mind. However, when I returned, he had lost 2.5 lbs from his original guesstimated 8.1 (because they either forgot to weigh him or didn't save his weight when they wrote it in the computer, so most recent weight about a month prior was used). I was pissed and felt lied to. I went back the next day, as they were closed. They gave him blood tests, x-rays, and a physical for free. The tests showed dehydration, high white blood count, and low sodium levels, but didn't show much of anything else. X-rays showed what my vet was sure to be lymphoma. My vet constantly told me that I had to take myself out of my son's picture and come in terms with having to put him to sleep. I was determined to try whatever I could do. I had seen an article before about superfoods you could give your pet, and I wanted to mix some of those with organic chicken broth and turkey, along with fish oils and I think vitamin E. I was unable to do that. The 4th he had blood tests and x-rays, the next day the results came in and he received fluid therapy for dehydration (June 5th). After fluid therapy he meowed constantly in the hospital and I raised my concerns, only to be shot down when a receptionist said that it's supposed to make him feel good. I said OK. I brought him back to my house, only to find out he could not walk. He could move his legs but was unable to support himself at all. I called back and my vet said that fluid therapy isn't supposed to do that, and to bring him back the next morning if he still couldn't walk. All through the night I was with him, and got little sleep. He slowly regained the ability to walk, though I still had to be there so he didn't fall over. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that he could use the litter box almost by himself. I had work in the morning so I didn't know what to do. It was very painful for me. I decided that it was maybe his time, and told the receptionist this so they could let my vet know. It was June 6th when I had him put to sleep. I regret many things. Maybe if I hadn't went on vacation, if not for so long, would he still be alive. Did I do the right thing by letting him go, or was this simply a hurtle we had to jump over and he would be better in only a few days? Why didn't I spend more time with him? (as I'm on my computer a lot) I wish I could've taken him outside one last time. I should've had an autopsy done before cremating him. I have gotten over most of my grief, which lasted about a week- a week and 1/2 right after, and actually had to call in on the 6th and 7th (which pissed off my boss). I feel I didn't grieve long enough, that because it felt so short, I was dismissing him. I still feel like that now. For another week or two, I was battling intense loneliness and quite possibly light depression. I didn't want to work and when I did, I was slow. I have now gotten over that, though I am not afraid to admit that I started crying while typing this.
I talked to my cousin a few days after his passing and told him his symptoms and his medicines. Might I add she has experience with felines and their medicines, as she has worked with shelters, foster care, and I think vets. She told me metronidazole causes neurological problems and that it sounded like dry FIP. She explained to me what it was, though I am uncertain on if she said it was curable or not. For those uncertain, dry FIP sucks the water out of the body and puts it in the stool, thus diarrhea. Wet FIP is, from what I understand, much quicker where something in the body more or less "pops". The cat has about a day or so, compared to the weeks to months a dry FIP+ has. I felt that dry FIP seemed more likely than lymphoma, though decided to confirm with my vet. She said if it was FIP, there would be high protein levels and other abnormal blood results showing that could lead to that possibility, though she did not deny it could be a possibility, or some other highly contagious disease that was not found. Whether it was lymphoma, FIP, or some other highly contagious disease, I am cleaning everything in my house where he was. I've rug doctor'd my room and rugs where he had gotten sick, as well as my mattress where vomit and pee stains were. I've yet to sweep and mop the wood floors, and spray the counter tops though. I truly wish I had done the autopsy before cremation but I felt, at the time, it was a violation of his body. Now I regret that. If there is another cat owner who has a special needs cat that sounds similar to what my cat went through, please test them for FIP. If it is too late, and you are unsure whether your cat have FIP, I encourage you to have an autopsy done, so you know for sure what took them and know to look for signs in other cats.
Currently I am growing catnip and cat grass to turn into incense. In doing so, I will burn them as a memorial for him.
I went on vacation for a week and a half, between May 23rd and June 3rd. During my vacation I called every few days. "Is he getting his medicine? Is he eating OK? What about his stool?" They told me he was eating fine, getting the medicine that was listed on the chart, and had no diarrhea. I was given some peace of mind. However, when I returned, he had lost 2.5 lbs from his original guesstimated 8.1 (because they either forgot to weigh him or didn't save his weight when they wrote it in the computer, so most recent weight about a month prior was used). I was pissed and felt lied to. I went back the next day, as they were closed. They gave him blood tests, x-rays, and a physical for free. The tests showed dehydration, high white blood count, and low sodium levels, but didn't show much of anything else. X-rays showed what my vet was sure to be lymphoma. My vet constantly told me that I had to take myself out of my son's picture and come in terms with having to put him to sleep. I was determined to try whatever I could do. I had seen an article before about superfoods you could give your pet, and I wanted to mix some of those with organic chicken broth and turkey, along with fish oils and I think vitamin E. I was unable to do that. The 4th he had blood tests and x-rays, the next day the results came in and he received fluid therapy for dehydration (June 5th). After fluid therapy he meowed constantly in the hospital and I raised my concerns, only to be shot down when a receptionist said that it's supposed to make him feel good. I said OK. I brought him back to my house, only to find out he could not walk. He could move his legs but was unable to support himself at all. I called back and my vet said that fluid therapy isn't supposed to do that, and to bring him back the next morning if he still couldn't walk. All through the night I was with him, and got little sleep. He slowly regained the ability to walk, though I still had to be there so he didn't fall over. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that he could use the litter box almost by himself. I had work in the morning so I didn't know what to do. It was very painful for me. I decided that it was maybe his time, and told the receptionist this so they could let my vet know. It was June 6th when I had him put to sleep. I regret many things. Maybe if I hadn't went on vacation, if not for so long, would he still be alive. Did I do the right thing by letting him go, or was this simply a hurtle we had to jump over and he would be better in only a few days? Why didn't I spend more time with him? (as I'm on my computer a lot) I wish I could've taken him outside one last time. I should've had an autopsy done before cremating him. I have gotten over most of my grief, which lasted about a week- a week and 1/2 right after, and actually had to call in on the 6th and 7th (which pissed off my boss). I feel I didn't grieve long enough, that because it felt so short, I was dismissing him. I still feel like that now. For another week or two, I was battling intense loneliness and quite possibly light depression. I didn't want to work and when I did, I was slow. I have now gotten over that, though I am not afraid to admit that I started crying while typing this.
I talked to my cousin a few days after his passing and told him his symptoms and his medicines. Might I add she has experience with felines and their medicines, as she has worked with shelters, foster care, and I think vets. She told me metronidazole causes neurological problems and that it sounded like dry FIP. She explained to me what it was, though I am uncertain on if she said it was curable or not. For those uncertain, dry FIP sucks the water out of the body and puts it in the stool, thus diarrhea. Wet FIP is, from what I understand, much quicker where something in the body more or less "pops". The cat has about a day or so, compared to the weeks to months a dry FIP+ has. I felt that dry FIP seemed more likely than lymphoma, though decided to confirm with my vet. She said if it was FIP, there would be high protein levels and other abnormal blood results showing that could lead to that possibility, though she did not deny it could be a possibility, or some other highly contagious disease that was not found. Whether it was lymphoma, FIP, or some other highly contagious disease, I am cleaning everything in my house where he was. I've rug doctor'd my room and rugs where he had gotten sick, as well as my mattress where vomit and pee stains were. I've yet to sweep and mop the wood floors, and spray the counter tops though. I truly wish I had done the autopsy before cremation but I felt, at the time, it was a violation of his body. Now I regret that. If there is another cat owner who has a special needs cat that sounds similar to what my cat went through, please test them for FIP. If it is too late, and you are unsure whether your cat have FIP, I encourage you to have an autopsy done, so you know for sure what took them and know to look for signs in other cats.
Currently I am growing catnip and cat grass to turn into incense. In doing so, I will burn them as a memorial for him.
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I'm very,very sorry you lost him like that. The Vet did you both badly. How on earth can a cat lose that much weight in that little of time and no one, particularly trained professionals not see it? I do want to let you know though that he was probably very happy in your home for the 6 months or so that you had him, either way whether it was FIP or Lymphoma, he was on borrowed time. I am sure that he knew he had a family and was loved, that meant the world to him. I am glad you were with him when he passed on, it was a probably a good comfort to him. I think you made the right choice about not have a necroscopy done, it would have given answers but would you really want to know? I look at it this way, he's already gone, for some it may bring closure, for others more grief, I've not ever had any done on my cats that have passed on. I do hope it gets easier with time for you, so that you can remember the happy times you shared without too much sadness. For me, the sadness never does go away, it only gets a little easier to deal with. I do think you're doing well, cleaning everything good. I would recommend you get rid of his litterboxes,toys and bowls if the bowls are made of plastic as it can harbor the germs if he had it. I'd also like to add that with the ifs and maybes, the shouldn't and should haves will get to you if you aren't careful. I am sure he wouldn't want you to feel too badly as you made his later days brighter.
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I recently lost my cat to FIP. I adopted him may 30 2015 and had to put him to sleep on August 6, 2015. his birthday was may 14, 2014 so he was a little over a year old. he was such a sweetheart, and i understand your pain. as i fear about getting attached again, and even how to try to keep from getting another cat that may have the FIP too.
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We lost our poor little Sheba to Feline Leukemia and FIP last month, it was so hard on our daughter. Our hearts go out to anyone that has to deal with this.
I just lost my baby kitty Seki, yesterday due to fip. I had no idea what was wrong with her and had taken her back to the shelter where i got her twice to be checked. She had just turned 3 months old. She kept having diahrrea and they gave her this flora stuff to help get her back to normal. Then the diahrrea got worse and she stopped playing and would hardly eat. I knew something was really wrong so I took her back to the shelter yesterday. After waiting over four hours for them to test her and get ne news, I got the sad word that she had fip 
I was told she had no chance of survival and had to be put to sleep. My heart is totally broken now and I really miss my baby girl I do know at some point that I will want another kitty, however I feel overwhelmed about the cleaning up process. She was everywhere in the house, under all the furniture, behind everything, in the bed, everyplace you can think. How can I possible clean up in all of these areas and make sure there is no virus left?
Does anyone have suggestions that can help me? also, I had heard that there were only certain cleaners which would kill this virus, not bleach, and I have no idea where to purchase them. Maybe from the vet. I feel so hurt and also, discouraged with losing my kitty; and that I am not sure I should even risk getting another one with the huge job of cleaning up the germs which are probably in every corner of my house.
I was told she had no chance of survival and had to be put to sleep. My heart is totally broken now and I really miss my baby girl I do know at some point that I will want another kitty, however I feel overwhelmed about the cleaning up process. She was everywhere in the house, under all the furniture, behind everything, in the bed, everyplace you can think. How can I possible clean up in all of these areas and make sure there is no virus left?Does anyone have suggestions that can help me? also, I had heard that there were only certain cleaners which would kill this virus, not bleach, and I have no idea where to purchase them. Maybe from the vet. I feel so hurt and also, discouraged with losing my kitty; and that I am not sure I should even risk getting another one with the huge job of cleaning up the germs which are probably in every corner of my house.
I'm very sorry for your loss. We recently lost a shelter cat to FIP and were told not to use her room for at least a month, as the Corona virus can survive in the environment for several weeks. The shelter has all sorts of special disinfectants, but everything I've read has stated that bleach is also effective. It's important to disinfect or replace all litter boxes, food and water bowls, too.
Thank you Jcat for your kind response to my question. I don't think loosing a pet is ever easy and i am still in a lot of pain today. What you are saying about the clean up sounds much easier than i had heard. I was told it can take anywhere from 6 months to a year for the germs to die and that I had to throw away all of the bowls, litter box, etc. that she came into contact with; along with all of her toys. I did throw away the litter box and some of the toys I could find. Her bowls were ceramic and stainless steel, so I am hoping I can just steralize them without throwing away. I am still looking for the other toys that she hid around the house. My concern is that she was everywhere; behind the furniture, under it, in the bed, on the pillows that are on the furniture, etc. and that i have to somehow steralize in all of these areas; hoping I don't miss any places she was. I do know that when she really started showing symptoms of being sick she had accidents all over the place, including under the bed, which is quite heavy for me to move. I cannot use lysol as I am allergic to it and to most bleach; clorox doesn't seem as bad as the cheaper brands. I would like to try and use natural cleaners that supposedly kill germs like Tea Tree oil or Grapeseed Extract. If either yourself, or anyone else out there who may read this post knows if these cleaners will work, I would appreciate knowing. I plan to clean small areas at a time, as trying to do the whole house at once will be very overwhelming for me.
I hope you are right Jcate, about it not taking as long as I had heard for the germs to die off or dissapate; because the timeframe I heard is so long, and even though I will always treasure my little Seki in my heart, I know I do want another cat, possibly in couple months.
I hope you are right Jcate, about it not taking as long as I had heard for the germs to die off or dissapate; because the timeframe I heard is so long, and even though I will always treasure my little Seki in my heart, I know I do want another cat, possibly in couple months.
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I lost my beloved kitty last week to FIP. He was a shelter kitty.
I have a 10 year old kitty that seems fine.
All the sites I've read say wait one month, air out your home and lysol everything. I have.
Should I get my old kitty tested before I adopt another kitten?
I have a 10 year old kitty that seems fine.
All the sites I've read say wait one month, air out your home and lysol everything. I have.
Should I get my old kitty tested before I adopt another kitten?
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All these stories of shelter cats having FIP is crazy. It's like shelters don't even care.
Years ago my mom had a cat that died of FIP. She was foaming at the mouth and my sister was afraid of rabies and locked her in the bathroom. She was dead two hours later. Because of the foaming at the mouth, the vet did a necropsy, which is how they found it.
The fun part? Two months later my mom got a postcard from the shelter saying she didn't alter one of her cats. She called and said all had been altered and one died of a contagious virus and apparently it caused quite a stir at the shelter when they heard about that.
The vet was willing to test her remaining cats for FIP, all but one had it. Definitely contagious. However the area had zero other cases of FIP so the vet wasn't willing to order the vaccine since he would have to order in lots and she didn't have that many cats. He also said the vaccine would probably be a waste of money as it was only 60% effective.
I live on the other side of the country, I about hit the roof when I heard the vet wouldn't order it because my mom's cats were the only known cases. My mom now doesn't let her cats out, but back then she did. It was a rural area, tons of feral cats. And everyone we knew let their cats out, it was the thing to do there. Yeah, they were the only *known* cases, but they couldn't have been the only cases.
Two years later FIP was declared to be epidemic levels in that area of the state she lives in. I hated being right.
Most of her cats died. I'm sure there's going to be haters, but while she never adopted another cat from the shelter, she could never say no to a starving stray. She'd rather they have a warm home and lots of food and love instead of dying anyway cold, scared, hungry and alone.
A couple of the cats (including the one that initially tested negative, though tested positive later on) lived for a really good long time. They didn't die of FIP, but apparently it did a number on their immune system and they ended up with a lot of different immune system problems (breathing problems, loss of teeth, skin issues, things like that).
But I always go back to that initial cat. It was a shelter cat. Why didn't they test for that? Why did they let a cat with such a horrible, contagious disease be adopted without warning into a multi-cat household?
And so many people here post the same thing. They got a shelter cat that ended up being FIP positive with no warning from the shelter staff.
Why don't shelters care?
Years ago my mom had a cat that died of FIP. She was foaming at the mouth and my sister was afraid of rabies and locked her in the bathroom. She was dead two hours later. Because of the foaming at the mouth, the vet did a necropsy, which is how they found it.
The fun part? Two months later my mom got a postcard from the shelter saying she didn't alter one of her cats. She called and said all had been altered and one died of a contagious virus and apparently it caused quite a stir at the shelter when they heard about that.
The vet was willing to test her remaining cats for FIP, all but one had it. Definitely contagious. However the area had zero other cases of FIP so the vet wasn't willing to order the vaccine since he would have to order in lots and she didn't have that many cats. He also said the vaccine would probably be a waste of money as it was only 60% effective.
I live on the other side of the country, I about hit the roof when I heard the vet wouldn't order it because my mom's cats were the only known cases. My mom now doesn't let her cats out, but back then she did. It was a rural area, tons of feral cats. And everyone we knew let their cats out, it was the thing to do there. Yeah, they were the only *known* cases, but they couldn't have been the only cases.
Two years later FIP was declared to be epidemic levels in that area of the state she lives in. I hated being right.
Most of her cats died. I'm sure there's going to be haters, but while she never adopted another cat from the shelter, she could never say no to a starving stray. She'd rather they have a warm home and lots of food and love instead of dying anyway cold, scared, hungry and alone.
A couple of the cats (including the one that initially tested negative, though tested positive later on) lived for a really good long time. They didn't die of FIP, but apparently it did a number on their immune system and they ended up with a lot of different immune system problems (breathing problems, loss of teeth, skin issues, things like that).
But I always go back to that initial cat. It was a shelter cat. Why didn't they test for that? Why did they let a cat with such a horrible, contagious disease be adopted without warning into a multi-cat household?
And so many people here post the same thing. They got a shelter cat that ended up being FIP positive with no warning from the shelter staff.
Why don't shelters care?
