Common FIP symptoms?

[Gabrielle93]

My sweet little Maggie will be one year old this Friday, she’s an Abyssinian who came from quite a large household. We are taking her to the vet tomorrow afternoon but I wanted to know if someone could help me understand what are and aren’t symptoms of FIP.

Maggie has always been a very scared/timid cat and lately we’ve noticed she’s retreating more (mainly we think because her high energy brother annoys her!)

We also noticed that she’s drinking ~10ish~ times a day in the last week or so. Still eating happily and screaming like she’s starving when we’re in the kitchen. She’s also developed a bit of a bloated belly.

Aside from this she’s acting her normal self - a little more sleepy and reserved but still up for play and eating. I’m making myself sick googling symptoms, does this seem like FIP? I can’t seem to wrap my head around what the symptoms are

thanks for any help

 

[Antonio65]

Hi Gabrielle93 ,
From what you say, I wouldn't think your cat has FIP.
FIP would involve lethargy, fever, lack of appetite, unkempt coat, possibly eyes and nose discharge, bad poop, swollen belly, difficult breathing, etc.
Your cat is happily eating and screaming like she's starving, still playful.

The increased thirst and bloated belly might depend on the diet. What is she eating? Are you feeding her lots of dry food?

For your peace of mind, a simple vet visit should clear any doubt.

 

[Gabrielle93]

Hi Gabrielle93 ,
From what you say, I wouldn't think your cat has FIP.
FIP would involve lethargy, fever, lack of appetite, unkempt coat, possibly eyes and nose discharge, bad poop, swollen belly, difficult breathing, etc.
Your cat is happily eating and screaming like she's starving, still playful.

The increased thirst and bloated belly might depend on the diet. What is she eating? Are you feeding her lots of dry food?

For your peace of mind, a simple vet visit should clear any doubt.

Thanks for your response, she’s eating a lot of dry food (more than usual) but is an indoor cat and doesn’t seem to have worms from my (albeit inexperienced and gross) investigation of poop. I’m booked in for vet tomorrow arvo

 

[Antonio65]

Dry food is... dry. The cat is thirstier than they were eating wet food as well.
In my opinion, and from my experience, I would limit the amount of dry food. Feed her high quality wet food, with a bit of extra water in it, and add some kibbles during the day.
Worms can also be not visible to a naked eye, so a good fecal test is recommended.

 

[Gabrielle93]

Thankyou! Interesting because they really seem to love this dry food more than previous, would love that to be the culprit

 

[Antonio65]

Thankyou! Interesting because they really seem to love this dry food more than previous, would love that to be the culprit

Can I ask you what dry food are you feeding them?
Please, keep in mind that most dry foods contain cereals, grains, that aren't required in the cats' diet, and these grains could cause future issues in the GI tracts. This is what I meant when I said "from my experience"...
There are grain-free wet and dry foods for cats, you might want to have a look into them.

 

[Gabrielle93]

We give them a grain free/cereal free dry food - I’m not sure if you’re in Australia but it’s called ‘Crave’

 

[Antonio65]

We give them a grain free/cereal free dry food - I’m not sure if you’re in Australia but it’s called ‘Crave’

Very good approach, imo.
No, I'm Italian and live in Italy and I'm feeding my cats Orijen (Canadian brand) dry food, which they like a lot!

 

[Gabrielle93]

Very good approach, imo.
No, I'm Italian and live in Italy and I'm feeding my cats Orijen (Canadian brand) dry food, which they like a lot!

 

[Gabrielle93]

Hello in Italy!

 

[stephanietx]

I would feed mostly canned as opposed to dry food. It contains more moisture and is better for cats.