FIP cleaning up after a kitten passed

[EB2]

Hi I am new here and thank you for reading my post.
I adopted a 4 month old kitten on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon she was lethargic and had barely ate. I messaged the rescue and called their vet and mine on Monday morning. They suggested waiting another day since she was spayed on Thursday and in a new home so she could just be adjusting. Well by Monday night it was worst and I went to the emergency vet in the middle of the night. She was unresponsive, trouble walking and eyes were unfocused. It was suspected that she had FIP andwas In bad shape. Her body temp was very low and her blood sugar level was unreadable at first and then went up slightly and then jumped up extremely high. She was put to sleep unfortunately there wasn’t anything that could be done to save her.
I had her for all over 2.5 days. I cleaned but I know she was under my bed on my rug. I have some toys that she barely played with more then once or twice. I cleaned the litter box that she used only a handful of times and only pooped and washed the ceramic and
Metal dishes. Do I need to throw out the toys ? Do I need to steam clean my rug? I washed my bedding since she was in my bed and my son’s bed but I don’t know if she played with his toys or if I should be insanely cleaning. I am not that person. How much of this virus could she have shredded in 2 days?
Next question would be how long to wait to adopt I am frightened beyond belief about getting another kitten. My cat passed of cancer right after Christmas And we were heartbroken and this happening to a sweet new kitten gave me pts since I had to go back to the overnight vet. My son is okay since I just told him she was sick and so was her litter mates so we need to look for a new cat. I didn’t want him to be hurt. I never expected anything like this or even heard of FIP. I am nervous to adopt again.

 

[Antonio65]

Hi EB2 ,
I'm so sorry to read of what happened to you and your kitten, it's terrible and beyond common imagination and understanding.

I had a cat, Tom, an adult ginger cat who arrived in my yard, and I took care of him for over two years, till a day when he felt sick and I took him to the University Hospital where the FIP diagnose was issued. He was on medicines and home care for about 7 weeks. We knew we could do nothing to save him, but we hoped for a miracle to happen.
He was an outdoor cat, but when he got sick, we kept him indoors, in a room of his own, where my other two indoor-only cats weren't allowed to enter.
When he died, I washed all the room where he stayed with bleach. Bleach is the only detergent certified to kill the coronavirus, if it's present in the home environment. So I washed all walls, floor, furniture, windows, doors, with bleach diluted in water. The guidelines say 1 part of bleach in 31 parts of water would do the job. To be on the safe side, I diluted 1 part of bleach in 7 parts of water, 4 times stronger. I washed the whole room three times, once every 4 weeks, while my cats were still kept out of that room.
A month past the last washing, I opened the door and let my cats in again.
Did I overdo? Maybe yes, but this is what I did and what I have always advised people to do when they have to deal with this devil of a disease. I wouldn't advise the steam only, which my even be ineffective. Toys and dishes may be washed in the same way, there's no need to dispose of them, in my opinion. Fabrics might be a bit of an issue, but I guess that washing them a few times with a safe amount of bleach (where "safe" means not harmful to fabric and colors) should work.

I'm sorry, I can understand that this tragedy left you with a deep pain in your heart and sort of a fear for the future.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your loss and for that terrible experience. A few years ago a friend adopted a puppy from a local LA shelter which promptly, and very tragically, died of distemper. In the dog world, you do everything that Antonio65 described and then, if you want another dog immediately, you are often advised to get a young adult who had had all its shots.

 

[EB2]

Thank you
She was there for 2 days so I don’t know how much she shedded at my house or if it was FIP but all her sisters were also not right according to the rescue.
I cleaned what I could but not going crazy because I will be waiting 2-5 months before another cat. I will be considering getting a cat that is 1 -2 yrs old now and skip the kitten stage out of fear.

 

[yokosmom]

Most cats have Corona virus and most cats have an immune system that beats it, but sometimes it mutates if the immune system doesnt fight it off and it develops into FIP. A case of bad luck. . . .im sorry

 

[Jcatbird]

I am so sorry. I would do as Antonio65 suggested. If you still have fears, you could write to one of the FIP support groups. Maybe they can suggest something but I think the bleach should do the best job. I’m sorry about your other kitty too. I just lost one to cancer myself. I’m glad you will get another kitty later. The slightly older kitties are often harder for rescues to adopt out since many people want kittens. That would be a very positive thing to do.