Conflicting Cat Coronavirus Diagnosis

[saamlber]

My cat Teddy, 2 years and 3 months old, has been struggling with some urinary issues for two months. I decided to get a second opinion from another vet.

The urinary thing was just a bladder inflammation situation, and we were prescribed with some medicine, but the vet said the blood test showed abnormal kidney function levels, and suggested a coronavirus test.

He took a small sample of blood and dropped it in a small plastic blood-testy-thingy? The object showed two lines and he informed us that Teddy has FIP.

This is where I was really confused. After a lot of reading earlier, I found that the coronavirus blood test he had shouldn't be able to detect whether my cat just has coronavirus, or if it developed to FIP.

I also found out the coronavirus is very common, and a lot of times we can't do a lot about it but hope it doesn't develop to FIP, but my vet suggested treatment through long-term medicine after we have finished resolving the bladder imflammation.

So far, I haven't seen any symptoms pointing towards wet or dry FIP. He eats, drinks, and play normally. Maybe the abnormal kidney function is caused by his struggle with not being able to urinate well for an extended period of time?

I also have a second cat, Tom, 1 year and 1 month old, who hasn't shown any symptoms, but the vet also suggested we get him checked for coronavirus as well, is this necessary?

I've definitely been a bit overwhelmed with all the information about the coronavirus, since I'm a first time pet owner and have never really heard of it before. Could someone point me in the right direction? Is there anyway I can prevent my cats from getting FIP?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[denice]

There is no definitive test for FIP on a living cat. They can test for antibodies to the coronavirus which means the cat has that virus which is very common. There are blood tests which are suggestive of FIP but are not definitive, the test that your vet did checks for the antibodies. FIP is not that common and is rare in a cat the age of yours. It usually appears in kittens and again in senior cats.

Stress related urinary issues are more common in cats then FIP. Stress relieving measures help. Some people have had good luck with Cosequin. It does the same thing for the bladder lining as it does for the lining between the joints.

 

[saamlber]

Thanks for the reply! The vet found out about the source of the problem, which is the bladder, and an anti-imflammatory shot + some medicine has helped a lot.

I'm just really praying that the coronavirus remains harmless throughout their lives. I've begun safely disinfecting our home, starting with the litterboxes. The vet also warned me that prolonged stress can be a contributor to the mutation to FIP, I'm also trying to find ways to minimize that when stressful situations come up.