Is This Cat Fip?

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Hey guys,
Just made a vet appointment but I'm freaking out over posts on the internet. I adopted my Cleo in April 2017. She immediately went to a vet and had a good check up. She is 1 year old. Recently, her belly is expanding. I only feed her 1/2 cup of dry mixed with wet food twice a day. I keep feeling her belly and it's a little hard. I'm super worried I have a cat FIP case on my hands and my heart can't handle it since I'm in love with my new kitty. She eats her 1/2 cup throughout the day and purrs when I pet her. Please check out the photo and let me know if I should be really worried.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Here's a couple other photos.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Here's a couple other photos.

 

[Kieka]

Is she spayed?

Are there any other symptoms?

 

[abyeb]

I'm with Kieka, I'm curious if she's been spayed. If not, she could be pregnant or have pyometra.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Is she spayed?

Are there any other symptoms?

She is spayed. She attempts to play with toys but not too active. Lazy most of the time.
She gets excited for food but eats a little throughout the entire day. She did have a weezing moment at 3am last week, but nothing since then. Breathing is sometimes abnormal.

 

[abyeb]

If her belly is hard, it's possible she has worms. It might be helpful if you bring a fresh stool sample to your vet in case they want to run a fecal flotation test.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

I have a vet appointment on Wednesday and I will let everyone know how she does. I'm really hoping it's worms at this point because it's scaring me. I check her stools every day for signs, but nothing came out signifying worms yet. She did have worms when I first brought her home, but they were treated. Could it be that her tummy is filled again with them?

 

[Kieka]

It could be that some worms are still present. It could also be she is constipated if there isn't much in the litter box.

Does she go outside? Did you adopt her from a shelter? Is she lethargic? Does she feel like she has lost weight?

Hopefully everything goes well at the vet. Do keep us updated.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

She poops normally, twice per day. But they're on the soft side. I adopted her from the shelter but she had owners. Only at the shelter for 3 days before I picked her up. She gained a ton of weight (looking at the photos). She seems a little lethargic but active when she's playing. Hyper in the mornings. It's just confusing because she shows no signs of being in pain at all. And I'm so worried about FIP.

 

[Kieka]

I know how stressful it can be. You should have seen me when my boy had a small lump (turned out to be just an abcess) because I've had a cat die from cancer that started as a small lump.

That she has gained weight is a good sign. It probably is just a reoccurance of the worms. Or maybe as simple as she is eating too much. I know you said a half cup of dry with wet. But depending on he activity and the calories of the food (plus kind of food) maybe it is just that she is getting overweight and gaining around the midsection. Deep breaths and calm thoughts for the vet. Whatever the vet tells you we are here and can help you through it.

Does she go outside? Or has there been a time she got outside unsupervised?

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

I know how stressful it can be. You should have seen me when my boy had a small lump (turned out to be just an abcess) because I've had a cat die from cancer that started as a small lump.

That she has gained weight is a good sign. It probably is just a reoccurance of the worms. Or maybe as simple as she is eating too much. I know you said a half cup of dry with wet. But depending on he activity and the calories of the food (plus kind of food) maybe it is just that she is getting overweight and gaining around the midsection. Deep breaths and calm thoughts for the vet. Whatever the vet tells you we are here and can help you through it.

Does she go outside? Or has there been a time she got outside unsupervised?

She's an indoor kitty because we live on the third floor of an apartment building. Thank you for all the support! I'm going to see if the vet has any appointments earlier so I can get an answer. Rough sleeping last night.
Makes me feel better that it's a good sign she's gaining weight.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Hey everyone,
Had a early vet appointment today and I have to wait until Wednesday to get an ultrasound. My vet highly recommends it because her belly is distended and firm. She's eating fine, bathroom is fine, but a little respiratory issue. I'm so worried it's FIP. I keep seeing threads about it and it's worrisome. I only had my girl for 4 months and losing her would be devastating.

 

[Kieka]

Prayers and good thoughts for the testing.

Hang in there.

 

[valentine319]

She looks like a kitty I had. Really pretty girl. Prayers and thoughts are with you.

 

[catwoman707]

I would say the same, an ultrasound is in order. While it can be fast weight gain, which would actually all go right to her tummy when it comes on fast, her breathing may be from fluid buildup from FIP, usually though at the point the tummy is that big there are other clear signs that something is not right and the disease is in full destruction mode.
A 1 yr old kitty should be active and playful regardless of personality, some just play more than others who are more calm and laid back, but all at this age should have play interests.

Let us know.

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Hello everyone!!

Her stool sample came back positive for roundworm! I can't believe how happy I am to hear that news! I was so worried it was something severe and here it was... worms.
Thank you everyone for spending the time to talk to me. Her belly was huge and I was for sure indicating a fluid build up. All is well and she successfully took her first treatment of deworming medicine.
I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you so so so much.

 

[valentine319]

I'm so happy it's not FIP.

 

[catwoman707]

Usually, a worm infestation bad enough to cause that big of a tummy would include seeing some being vomited up and in her stool, so be cautious with that being the only thing going on.
This is not to worry you, just keep an eye
It may be worms AND fast weight gain too, no biggie of course on that.

I forgot about you saying her breathing is not normal sometimes.
If the only thing she ends up having is a bad case of worms, while this can start to affect her lung capacity, it does mean treatment will definitely NOT be standard, and must be ongoing with follow up treatments every 2 weeks.
If this is too costly for you, you can always buy yourself a bottle of pyrantel, no prescription, very gentle and what vets use too, I had a teenager once who's worms were so bad it took dosing every 2 weeks for literally months before she was in the clear...
Just an fyi~

 

[Caroline V. Bennett]

Thank you for the FYI and I will take that into consideration. I remember finding dried worms around in the walkway of my kitchen but I always thought it was spegetti that I dropped the night before. Now I know... I was picking up worms that day!

Thank you for the heads up and I'll keep everyone updated.