Coronavirus Vs Fip

[MrsFox]

Hello everyone.....sorry if this is a a duplicate of previous advice given relating to coronavirus. I have read the other threads but I’d hoped someone could give me some symptom specific advice....

My cat, Groot, is 15 months old. I adopted him at 8 months old. He’s very small (2.6kg at “healthy” weight) and I never worried about it but my vet has brought it up a couple of times. He’s been healthy since we adopted him, aside from four/five bouts of hypersalivation. He’s usually well with it and my vet has never been able to get to the bottom of the problem.

I adopted a second cat, TARS, in early December, and he is about 9 months old. They had some fights, which I’d posted about before. 90% of the time they do brilliantly, but sometimes their fights turn into Groot making those typical “cat fight” sounds. I put it down to TARS being much bigger and stronger than Groot and maybe getting a bit carried away, and Groot being a spoiled mardy bum. Anyway, Groot started hypersalivating last week and looked like he was straining on his litter tray, and hopping on and off, on and off. I suspected he had a urinary infection and took him to the vets. He was prescribed cystease and metcam and was diagnosed with stress related cystitis. I expected this was off the back of us adopting TARS and the two of them settling in together. As usual, we didn’t pay too much attention to the HS.

The following morning, I could tell something wasn’t right. He appeared to be presenting some weird neurological signs, like his head kept going to one side, he kept walking backwards and he was absolutely covered in diahorrea. Straight back to the vets where they kept him in, gave him fluids, X-rays, scan etc. There wasn’t any fluid in his chest or abdomen and nothing jumped out. It was at this point that FIP was mentioned to me. I had never heard of this before and naturally was absolutely terrified of it. His liver and kidney functions were fine, no anaemia. I was told some further bloods needed to be sent away, he was discharged to recover at home with me. One because they thought he would do better in his own environment and two to keep costs down. The vet suspected that my insurers wouldn’t cover his treatment as they won’t pay for his HS as they deem it to be pre-existing. I was told not to give him metacam while he had diahorrea and has some binder I need to give him to firm his poos, along with antibiotics for toxoplasmosis, just in case.

Thursday night, he was dreadfully ill and I was devastated that we were going to lose him. Since then, he is continually getting better every single day. Today, he is totally back to his old self. His poos are still soft, a bit like mousse, but he is not incontinent with them. He isn’t lifting his tail but I bet his bum is very sore. He’s fully cleaned himself so he’s no longer covered in poo, his appetite is back, no dribbling, he’s as good as new. His tests have come back as negative for toxoplasmosis.

He has tested as positive for coronavirus and my vet seems to think he’s got dry FIP. I’m honestly not sure, and although I trust my vet, I do have concerns. Would he be getting so much better if it was FIP? Could the diahorrea just be a symptom of his coronavirus? I understand that it can present itself this way and that cats can emit the virus through their poo and effectively work it out of their system. I also understand that most cats carry coronavirus, that they can live with it if it doesn’t mutate, and that they can pick it up again after they’ve had it. Could his HS be attributable to coronavirus or FIP?

Can cats present neurological signs with infections like elderly people and rabbits can?? I appreciate I’m not a vet and am clutching at straws to avoid having to deal with potentially losing my boy but I don’t want your write him off if there’s another explanation. So sorry for the very long post and I’d be so grateful if anyone could provide me with any assistance, positive or negative. Thank you so much

* present neurological signs with URINARY infectious

 

[AbbysMom]

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. Have you asked your vet these questions? I know you said you trust your vet, but would a second opinion ease your mind?

 

[harhardf]

My cat has dry FIP. Here's what i know from her experience. She has bouts where she gets ill and then she gets better. she might not get ill for months or years but its ALWAYS stress related (a new house or a new animal in the house). She has neurological symptoms. I have witnessed two partial seizures. Most of her symptoms are ocular, she gets uveitis with stress. Since her diagnosis was a couple months ago and she is 4.5 years old, soon she will go for an ultrasound to check if there are granulomas in her intestine. I have never seen diarrhea in my cat and have not heard of it as a FIP symptom.

Showing positive for coronavirus does not mean full on FIP either. It just means they were exposed at one point and their body produced antibodies. That's all. A true FIP diagnosis has to be a combination of symptoms, history and tests. I have another cat thats almost 3 and the two are best friends. She does not have FIP. She has been exposed but her immune system has kept it in check.

 

[MrsFox]

Thank you for replying.... I have some of them, some have only come to me after I’ve seen him. I had spoken with my friend who is an Rspca inspector and she had said she’d picked up many cats with coronavirus and FIP over the years and without exception, absolutely none of them had got better. Given that Groot is continuing to improve, that does make me suspect further that it isn’t FIP. I honestly hope I’m right

 

[MrsFox]

Thank you harhardf.....id not read about diahorrea being a symptom either, but it is of the coronavirus. I was just shocked when my vet said he’d tested positive for FIP, I was like - no he hasn’t!!! No granulomas in his chest or abdomen. Your post has made me feel more positive and I hope your lovely girl keeps on top of everything

 

[KatMom777]

We recently lost our 7 and half year old cat, Misty, to wet FIP. We first heard of it when we took her to the vet because she had bloating in her abdominal area. Various vets went back and forth with it-is and it-isn't FIP. Two weeks later, she was so far gone--body wasting away and unable to make her legs work--the vet advised that it was time to put her down. It was heartbreaking, as she had seemed so healthy just before. Cats are profoundly good at hiding symptoms, and so we as parents might not know anything is wrong until it's too late. In any case, wet FIP is faster moving than the dry form. It is a horrible, horrible disease for which there is no good outcome.

I truly hope that Groot does not have FIP and that his signs of improvement continue until he is his old self again.

 

[harhardf]

Thank you harhardf.....id not read about diahorrea being a symptom either, but it is of the coronavirus. I was just shocked when my vet said he’d tested positive for FIP, I was like - no he hasn’t!!! No granulomas in his chest or abdomen. Your post has made me feel more positive and I hope your lovely girl keeps on top of everything

good! since my girls eat wet food, i add immune boosting vitamins to each dish, regardless if they have FIP. The one that I have seen really turn things around for my FIP cat and very quickly is Lactoferrin. her last uveitis bout showed up Saturday and was gone Monday. I didnt even have to use steroids like normal. Just pumped her full of lactoferrin laced tuna water. Even the vet was shocked and said to just keep it up.

I also have another blend of Vit B, C, arginine and lysine that I add but lactoferrin is a life saver. (PS, i made these blends on my own after much research and they are all natural whole food based, no chemical synthetics) If you have the chance, give yours some vitamins every once in a while and support the immune system as it keeps coronavirus from becoming FIP.

 

[MrsFox]

You’re an angel....where’s the best place to buy it from?

 

[harhardf]

I like the Jarrow brand lactoferrin. For Vitamins B and C, I use the Garden of Life Raw brand. All their vitamins are plant based whole food vitamins. And for the lysine and arginine, I use the NOW brand. Those are synthetics because they are amino acids which only come from protein. So they are isolated then synthesized. I order it all on Amazon. Vitamins B and C are water soluble, meaning whatever is not used will be urinated out. There is no major concern of toxicity however I do not give human doses. When her eyes flare up, I do about 500 mg of lactoferrin a day but thats about as high as i would go. The rest of the time i just lightly dust their food with the mixture to keep their immune systems supplied with necessary nutrients.

Standard Process vitamins are considered excellent quality and all whole food or animal organ based. They have a line for cats and dogs but they are very expensive. The benefit being that my cat LOVES how they taste and thinks they are treats. For cost reasons (and availability), I started making my own blends.

I also love to sprinkle in some liquid probiotics. I have found a brand here in Mexico called Sinuberase and its no flavor. I am sure there is an equivalent in whatever country you find yourself.

 

[harhardf]

just went and measured my amounts to be specific:

- Vit C = 25mg
- Vit B (complex) = 25mg
- Lysine = 500mg
- Taurine = 50mg
- Arginine = 50mg

 

[MrsFox]

just went and measured my amounts to be specific:

- Vit C = 25mg
- Vit B (complex) = 25mg
- Lysine = 500mg
- Taurine = 50mg
- Arginine = 50mg

You’ve been a huge help, thank you so much

 

[Jshuler]

Hello everyone.....sorry if this is a a duplicate of previous advice given relating to coronavirus. I have read the other threads but I’d hoped someone could give me some symptom specific advice....

My cat, Groot, is 15 months old. I adopted him at 8 months old. He’s very small (2.6kg at “healthy” weight) and I never worried about it but my vet has brought it up a couple of times. He’s been healthy since we adopted him, aside from four/five bouts of hypersalivation. He’s usually well with it and my vet has never been able to get to the bottom of the problem.

I adopted a second cat, TARS, in early December, and he is about 9 months old. They had some fights, which I’d posted about before. 90% of the time they do brilliantly, but sometimes their fights turn into Groot making those typical “cat fight” sounds. I put it down to TARS being much bigger and stronger than Groot and maybe getting a bit carried away, and Groot being a spoiled mardy bum. Anyway, Groot started hypersalivating last week and looked like he was straining on his litter tray, and hopping on and off, on and off. I suspected he had a urinary infection and took him to the vets. He was prescribed cystease and metcam and was diagnosed with stress related cystitis. I expected this was off the back of us adopting TARS and the two of them settling in together. As usual, we didn’t pay too much attention to the HS.

The following morning, I could tell something wasn’t right. He appeared to be presenting some weird neurological signs, like his head kept going to one side, he kept walking backwards and he was absolutely covered in diahorrea. Straight back to the vets where they kept him in, gave him fluids, X-rays, scan etc. There wasn’t any fluid in his chest or abdomen and nothing jumped out. It was at this point that FIP was mentioned to me. I had never heard of this before and naturally was absolutely terrified of it. His liver and kidney functions were fine, no anaemia. I was told some further bloods needed to be sent away, he was discharged to recover at home with me. One because they thought he would do better in his own environment and two to keep costs down. The vet suspected that my insurers wouldn’t cover his treatment as they won’t pay for his HS as they deem it to be pre-existing. I was told not to give him metacam while he had diahorrea and has some binder I need to give him to firm his poos, along with antibiotics for toxoplasmosis, just in case.

Thursday night, he was dreadfully ill and I was devastated that we were going to lose him. Since then, he is continually getting better every single day. Today, he is totally back to his old self. His poos are still soft, a bit like mousse, but he is not incontinent with them. He isn’t lifting his tail but I bet his bum is very sore. He’s fully cleaned himself so he’s no longer covered in poo, his appetite is back, no dribbling, he’s as good as new. His tests have come back as negative for toxoplasmosis.

He has tested as positive for coronavirus and my vet seems to think he’s got dry FIP. I’m honestly not sure, and although I trust my vet, I do have concerns. Would he be getting so much better if it was FIP? Could the diahorrea just be a symptom of his coronavirus? I understand that it can present itself this way and that cats can emit the virus through their poo and effectively work it out of their system. I also understand that most cats carry coronavirus, that they can live with it if it doesn’t mutate, and that they can pick it up again after they’ve had it. Could his HS be attributable to coronavirus or FIP?

Can cats present neurological signs with infections like elderly people and rabbits can?? I appreciate I’m not a vet and am clutching at straws to avoid having to deal with potentially losing my boy but I don’t want your write him off if there’s another explanation. So sorry for the very long post and I’d be so grateful if anyone could provide me with any assistance, positive or negative. Thank you so much

* present neurological signs with URINARY infectious

Oh

 

[Jshuler]

I have lost 2 cats to fip one wet and one dry they both showed symptoms and lost both the 1 at 14 months ansvthe second at 18 months . The first was quick and sudden fluid filled in chest cavity the second one had dry . The one with dry did live way longer but as he was fading did have or display neurological issues in the end due to liver function. We did the genetic test on this one and discovered the corona virus had mutated . We have another cat that has stomach issues so we can’t pin point exactly where it came from . The 2 we lost were from same breeder . A cat can be a carrier and just shed virus but not really effect them i was told .

 

[lostoner22]

My 17 week old cat, Simba, was just diagnosed with FIP yesterday. He has a full abdominal of fluid and doesn't seem to be gaining any weight. He eats very well and drinks water regularly. He is still playful and his stool looks fine. My vet recommended we put him down. My husband and i find this really hard to take in because he isn't acting like he is sick. He is boney so i will admit that. We are taking him in today for a second opinion at the same vet so we can get a sample of his fluid. I had the vet send me Simbas tests results if any one is able to read them for me i would appreciate it!

 

[lostoner22]

here are his test results

 

[kat hamlin]

here are his test results

I have seen worse but those are not promising. The good news is it looks like Simba is staying decently hydrated, but there is evidence of liver and kidney problems. If he seems in otherwise good spirits you could hope for the best but in my experience FIP is not something Simba is likely to survive. I would sit down with your vet and ask him/her to explain the different sections of the bloodwork for you if you have questions.
FIP is more of a diagnosis of guesswork because there are clinical signs, but those can be shared with other diseases, and there is no definitive test for the virus. If there is fluid in the abdomen, though, it is likely wet FIP.

 

[kat hamlin]

I've never seen a cat with FIP improve. Sadly. You are correct that the coronavirus is common, and the presence of coronavirus does not mean it is FIP. I would look for other reasons than FIP for these problems.

Hello everyone.....sorry if this is a a duplicate of previous advice given relating to coronavirus. I have read the other threads but I’d hoped someone could give me some symptom specific advice....

My cat, Groot, is 15 months old. I adopted him at 8 months old. He’s very small (2.6kg at “healthy” weight) and I never worried about it but my vet has brought it up a couple of times. He’s been healthy since we adopted him, aside from four/five bouts of hypersalivation. He’s usually well with it and my vet has never been able to get to the bottom of the problem.

I adopted a second cat, TARS, in early December, and he is about 9 months old. They had some fights, which I’d posted about before. 90% of the time they do brilliantly, but sometimes their fights turn into Groot making those typical “cat fight” sounds. I put it down to TARS being much bigger and stronger than Groot and maybe getting a bit carried away, and Groot being a spoiled mardy bum. Anyway, Groot started hypersalivating last week and looked like he was straining on his litter tray, and hopping on and off, on and off. I suspected he had a urinary infection and took him to the vets. He was prescribed cystease and metcam and was diagnosed with stress related cystitis. I expected this was off the back of us adopting TARS and the two of them settling in together. As usual, we didn’t pay too much attention to the HS.

The following morning, I could tell something wasn’t right. He appeared to be presenting some weird neurological signs, like his head kept going to one side, he kept walking backwards and he was absolutely covered in diahorrea. Straight back to the vets where they kept him in, gave him fluids, X-rays, scan etc. There wasn’t any fluid in his chest or abdomen and nothing jumped out. It was at this point that FIP was mentioned to me. I had never heard of this before and naturally was absolutely terrified of it. His liver and kidney functions were fine, no anaemia. I was told some further bloods needed to be sent away, he was discharged to recover at home with me. One because they thought he would do better in his own environment and two to keep costs down. The vet suspected that my insurers wouldn’t cover his treatment as they won’t pay for his HS as they deem it to be pre-existing. I was told not to give him metacam while he had diahorrea and has some binder I need to give him to firm his poos, along with antibiotics for toxoplasmosis, just in case.

Thursday night, he was dreadfully ill and I was devastated that we were going to lose him. Since then, he is continually getting better every single day. Today, he is totally back to his old self. His poos are still soft, a bit like mousse, but he is not incontinent with them. He isn’t lifting his tail but I bet his bum is very sore. He’s fully cleaned himself so he’s no longer covered in poo, his appetite is back, no dribbling, he’s as good as new. His tests have come back as negative for toxoplasmosis.

He has tested as positive for coronavirus and my vet seems to think he’s got dry FIP. I’m honestly not sure, and although I trust my vet, I do have concerns. Would he be getting so much better if it was FIP? Could the diahorrea just be a symptom of his coronavirus? I understand that it can present itself this way and that cats can emit the virus through their poo and effectively work it out of their system. I also understand that most cats carry coronavirus, that they can live with it if it doesn’t mutate, and that they can pick it up again after they’ve had it. Could his HS be attributable to coronavirus or FIP?

Can cats present neurological signs with infections like elderly people and rabbits can?? I appreciate I’m not a vet and am clutching at straws to avoid having to deal with potentially losing my boy but I don’t want your write him off if there’s another explanation. So sorry for the very long post and I’d be so grateful if anyone could provide me with any assistance, positive or negative. Thank you so much

* present neurological signs with URINARY infectious

 

[MrsFox]

I saw Groot’s vet today as I took my elderly guinea pig in. He’s pretty happy with the way Groot is now, which is basically back to normal. He suggested testing his poo in about six weeks to see if the coronavirus is still present and keep an eye on things but I think we’re both of the opinion now that it’s hopefully not FIP. Thank you everyone who has taken the time to reply and help

 

[MrsFox]

My 17 week old cat, Simba, was just diagnosed with FIP yesterday. He has a full abdominal of fluid and doesn't seem to be gaining any weight. He eats very well and drinks water regularly. He is still playful and his stool looks fine. My vet recommended we put him down. My husband and i find this really hard to take in because he isn't acting like he is sick. He is boney so i will admit that. We are taking him in today for a second opinion at the same vet so we can get a sample of his fluid. I had the vet send me Simbas tests results if any one is able to read them for me i would appreciate it!

I’m so sorry for little Simba

 

[lostoner22]

thank you! we are hoping for the best. Hopefully we get more answers today