- Joined
- Apr 8, 2015
- Messages
- 12
- Purraise
- 1
I need some help and have no idea where to start. I've been breeding cats for 7 years with no issues. Suddenly, out of the complete blue I had a buyer contact me a couple of weeks ago saying their kitten had an enlarged liver and fluid in their lungs and it appeared to be FIP. I was stunned as I'd never had this in my cattery and very upset and confused. I didn't know much about FIP at all but this buyer took her kitten everywhere with her, to work at the vet's, on playdates, stores, outside, etc and I must admit I honestly thought this was her fault and a fluke as I'd never had a case in my cattery so I shrugged it off thinking it was her fault and told her to please keep in contact while she waited for a final diagnosis. Then another week later another buyer contacted me, same sire, different mom. Their baby had fip. I was devastated. I knew the first buyer's kitten had caught it from my cattery but I had no idea how and still don't. Two different mothers, same sire. Born around the same time, mothers nursed each other's kittens and raised together. Then I noticed a kitten that hadn't yet gone home, had a really swollen abdomen I took her to the vet and she had a temp. vet sent her home went back today temp was 103.6 vet drew straw fluid from her abdomen. confirmed it was likely fip. this is now the third case. I am devasted. same sire. 3 different mothers. how is this possible? I am shutting down the lines but I don't understand how it got into my cattery in the first place and i'm terrified and saddened over this. these babies don't deserve an ending such as this I've been trying to do research and I know bleach and clean but how do I eradicate the disease/virus once the last kitten leaves who has the fip when i'm sure the cats/kittens in my cattery likely all have the corona virus? I can throw away and change litter boxes no problem. I do that often anyhow. food bowls too. cat trees as well but what about my other cats I have? and I have other litters due shortly? how do I protect them? Is it the sire or the damn who passes this virus? I was reading kittens aren't born with this virus and that early weaning around 4-5 weeks actually makes it so that they will not get the virus. is this correct? thank you for any insight and help you can provide.