I have a four month old kitten that my vet believes has FIP. I brought her into the vet because she had a distended (bloated) belly, and the vet did blook work on her and found a titer of 1:400 and a high white blood cell count. With the distended belly, they believe she has the wet form of FIP, giving her only a couple weeks to live. I am devastated, but my main concern now lies with my other cat, who is not yet a year old (about 8 months). I don't know what to do, what to believe. It seems that FIP is a very mysterious disease and no one really knows what to do or how to determine if a cat definitely has it! I am trying my best to keep them seperated, but articles seem to tell me that at this point, the kitten is not as contagious, that there was more concern when she first was infected with FIP, whenever that was. Does anyone know the chances of my 8 month old cat having FIP? What can I do for her? I'm so scared for them both. Has anyone had any experience with the disease or can offer any hope?
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possible FIP
- Thread starter amyz
- Start Date
I am so sorry about your kitten. We had to euthanize our 13 year old cat last night, who was diagnosed with FIP just 2 months ago. Where he got it as an inside cat, we will never know. We are in the same position you are. We have one cat left here, 7 years old, who is at major risk. Once they sleep and eat together, not much else we can do but pray pray pray. We tried everything we could to prolong the life of Casey, our 13 year old. Had him drained once a week. But the disease just took over. I will pray for you, Amy.
Kim
Kim
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I am so sorry about Casey. I guess we really know what the other is going through! I'm here for support if you need it. I'll be praying for you too.
Did you keep your other cat apart from Casey, once you determined it was FIP? I'm torn on that issue, as Gracie (older cat) has already been exposed to the virus. I kept Bailey, the FIP+ kitten in the bathroom all last night, away from Gracie, but you should have heard their meowing. They love each other very much (as do I) and it was breaking my heart seeing those little paws sticking out from under the bathroom door. When I first got Bailey, the two of them would do everything together, sleep, eat, and even bathe each other. That's what really worries me. So should I just allow them to be together and enjoy each other in these final days? Or should I really still keep Gracie away from Bailey?
Good luck, and keep those happy thoughts of Casey's younger years alive!
Did you keep your other cat apart from Casey, once you determined it was FIP? I'm torn on that issue, as Gracie (older cat) has already been exposed to the virus. I kept Bailey, the FIP+ kitten in the bathroom all last night, away from Gracie, but you should have heard their meowing. They love each other very much (as do I) and it was breaking my heart seeing those little paws sticking out from under the bathroom door. When I first got Bailey, the two of them would do everything together, sleep, eat, and even bathe each other. That's what really worries me. So should I just allow them to be together and enjoy each other in these final days? Or should I really still keep Gracie away from Bailey?
Good luck, and keep those happy thoughts of Casey's younger years alive!
I'm so sorry to hear about your cats!
Did you ask the vet about this? From what I've read, FIP is not necessarily contagious, as not all cats succumb to it. It must be very difficult for you to keep them apart! My heart goes out to you. Give each a hug for me!
Did you ask the vet about this? From what I've read, FIP is not necessarily contagious, as not all cats succumb to it. It must be very difficult for you to keep them apart! My heart goes out to you. Give each a hug for me!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
I just got back from the vet. I had her drain the fluid from Bailey's belly and sent it off to the lab to be tested. I have a friend who is graduating from vet school in a couple weeks, and she told me this fluid will be able to tell us with more certainty if it is FIP. I also had them do blood work on Gracie today to see what her levels are at. I'll have to test her again in a month or so to see if those levels are rising. If they are, chances are that she has FIP too. :-( I am praying hard that she will be okay. There is a good chance that she did not catch the virus, but there's also a chance she has. My vet feels very strongly that we should not keep the two together. I still have not decided what to do if tomorrow with the lab results I found out that Bailey definitely has FIP. Living the last couple weeks stuck in the bathroom is no life for this adorable kitten. And I'm not sure I can take it either. Yet, she doesn't feel any pain right now and I don't feel like I am ready to end her life. I wish I knew what to do.
I know it is a hard decision whether to separate them or keep them together but you have to remember that sometimes quality of life is better that quantity. If your kitten is so unhappy without her friend maybe they should be together and let it be in God's hands.
AmyZ,
I have 7 cats all of whom have been exposed to the FIP virus. It does not mean that they will get it. I don't separate them. Since both of your cats have also been exposed, I don't see any sense in separating them, especially if they are so miserable apart. Please read thess links so you will have a better understanding of how FIP works. Little kittens whose immune systems have not quite fully developed yet are most at risk.
http://www.thevet.com/vetfip1.htm
http://winnfelinehealth.org/reports/FIP-update-pt1.html
Please keep us posted.
[Edited by donna on 05-03-2001 at 05:22 PM]
I have 7 cats all of whom have been exposed to the FIP virus. It does not mean that they will get it. I don't separate them. Since both of your cats have also been exposed, I don't see any sense in separating them, especially if they are so miserable apart. Please read thess links so you will have a better understanding of how FIP works. Little kittens whose immune systems have not quite fully developed yet are most at risk.
http://www.thevet.com/vetfip1.htm
http://winnfelinehealth.org/reports/FIP-update-pt1.html
Please keep us posted.
[Edited by donna on 05-03-2001 at 05:22 PM]
Amy. We assume it was a little late to separate the cats once we found out Casey had FIP. They have been together for 7 years. They slept together, ate together, played together, etc. Separating them would have been horrible for the two of them, and we figured it was way too late anyway (so agreed the vet). If you do find it is FIP from the fluid drawn from Bailey's belly, keep in mind that horrible as it sounds, the disease worsens by the week. We had the fluid drawn from Casey's belly for a month or so. What we were really doing was buying ourselves time, time to say goodbye to him. Please keep me posted as to what the results are. Hug to you.
Kim
Kim
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Thanks to all of you for your support,
I am glad to see so many people agree with my not separating my two cats. They seem much happier lately since I brought them back together, and it is also easier on me. I was a wreck last week, and my fiance was having a hard time watching me go through this. But I'm better this week, with a little more understanding and Faith.
I did get the results back on Bailey's abdominocentesis, but unfortunately (or perhaps not?) the results are still inconclusive! How frustrating that is, as the reason I had the test done was because it can generally tell you with more certainty if it is or isn't FIP. Well, for some reason they still cannot tell. So maybe that's a good thing, and she still has a chance of this being something else. She does still have her appetite (although it is small, but she's always been a light eater)... and she LOVES her kitty treats. But she is quite lethargic still. I describe her like a stuffed animal, as she'll basically sit wherever you put her, she doesn't seem to have the energy to bother moving. She never used to be like that, she hated to be kept in one spot, always wanting to romp around like a playful little kitten...
The results from Gracie's blood work were somewhat as I'd expected. I knew that her titer test would come back positive, as she has already been exposed living with Bailey. However, we didn't expect it to be so high at 1:3200. Bailey's is only 1:400. (I've actually heard that titer levels sometimes go down in the late stages of FIP???) But Gracie's white blood cell count and everything else are normal, and she has no symptoms. She's just as frisky as ever.
So, we're taking this one day at a time. And praying A LOT.
I am glad to see so many people agree with my not separating my two cats. They seem much happier lately since I brought them back together, and it is also easier on me. I was a wreck last week, and my fiance was having a hard time watching me go through this. But I'm better this week, with a little more understanding and Faith.
I did get the results back on Bailey's abdominocentesis, but unfortunately (or perhaps not?) the results are still inconclusive! How frustrating that is, as the reason I had the test done was because it can generally tell you with more certainty if it is or isn't FIP. Well, for some reason they still cannot tell. So maybe that's a good thing, and she still has a chance of this being something else. She does still have her appetite (although it is small, but she's always been a light eater)... and she LOVES her kitty treats. But she is quite lethargic still. I describe her like a stuffed animal, as she'll basically sit wherever you put her, she doesn't seem to have the energy to bother moving. She never used to be like that, she hated to be kept in one spot, always wanting to romp around like a playful little kitten...
The results from Gracie's blood work were somewhat as I'd expected. I knew that her titer test would come back positive, as she has already been exposed living with Bailey. However, we didn't expect it to be so high at 1:3200. Bailey's is only 1:400. (I've actually heard that titer levels sometimes go down in the late stages of FIP???) But Gracie's white blood cell count and everything else are normal, and she has no symptoms. She's just as frisky as ever.
So, we're taking this one day at a time. And praying A LOT.
I hope things will impprove and they will both turn out to be healthy. I'm glad you brought them together - the seperation sounds very stressful for them and the stress is not good for their health.
I'm so sorry to hear about your furbabies. I'll keep them in my prayers. I'm so glad my vet urged me to to get my Alex vaccinated when I started fostering for the Humane Society. Until then, I had never even heard of FIP. My first vet never mentioned it. I hope that there will be more info about FIP given to people in the future.
We lost our 6 mo old female feral kitten Cleo to FIP just before Easter. Up until she was spayed 2 weeks before, she had not shown any symptoms. We got her from a cat shelter where my daughter volunteers along with a male who was from a home environment. When the vet spayed her, her belly was full of fluid which he immediately assumed was FIP. I had never heard of it after 35 years of owning cats. By this time, she had been clowning around with the male (same age) and living in the house with my 11 yr old female (who avoided both kittens at all costs). So for us to isolate her at that point, since she'd been in the house for 4 months was useless. If the other two were going to get it, the damage was already done. Two weeks later, her belly had distended badly, stopped eating, and was very lethargic. Her urine was the tell-tale gold color and her inside ears were starting to turn yellow. That was it.
So far, now a month later, the male is growing like a weed (which Cleo was not, also a tell-tale sign in kittens) and his belly is fine. The other female hasn't changed at all. So we're hopeful, being that they were both well taken care of (pre-natal and post for the male in a home environment, vs Cleo being feral) and my other female being 11 and always in good health. I won't do the tider test, it's useless. Kind of like testing for TB in humans. Just because you test positive doesn't mean you have it, only that you've been exposed. The vet recommended keeping them in for 3 months.
As long as your cat is eating and going around it's business, just enjoy what time you have and let it be with it's buddy. Hopefully it will work out well for you in the end! We'll all keep hoping and praying!
So far, now a month later, the male is growing like a weed (which Cleo was not, also a tell-tale sign in kittens) and his belly is fine. The other female hasn't changed at all. So we're hopeful, being that they were both well taken care of (pre-natal and post for the male in a home environment, vs Cleo being feral) and my other female being 11 and always in good health. I won't do the tider test, it's useless. Kind of like testing for TB in humans. Just because you test positive doesn't mean you have it, only that you've been exposed. The vet recommended keeping them in for 3 months.
As long as your cat is eating and going around it's business, just enjoy what time you have and let it be with it's buddy. Hopefully it will work out well for you in the end! We'll all keep hoping and praying!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
Thanks for all your kind and encouraging words.
Bailey actually seems to be doing better (considering). She still has her appetite, she has no fever, and the other day she played with a piece of string! She hasn't played in two weeks! I was so happy, but at the same time I'm trying not to be TOO positive, as I still will probably lose her to FIP eventually. Although she does seem to be fighting off this disease as hard as she can! We put her on steroids last week, and since then she's had a little more energy, but she still is fairly tired most of the time. Not like when we first got her. I'm planning on taking her back into the vet later this week to get her belly tapped, which might make her a little more comfortable... but we're still probably prolonging the inevitable. But you're all right, we are just going to enjoy the time we have together.
Bailey actually seems to be doing better (considering). She still has her appetite, she has no fever, and the other day she played with a piece of string! She hasn't played in two weeks! I was so happy, but at the same time I'm trying not to be TOO positive, as I still will probably lose her to FIP eventually. Although she does seem to be fighting off this disease as hard as she can! We put her on steroids last week, and since then she's had a little more energy, but she still is fairly tired most of the time. Not like when we first got her. I'm planning on taking her back into the vet later this week to get her belly tapped, which might make her a little more comfortable... but we're still probably prolonging the inevitable. But you're all right, we are just going to enjoy the time we have together.
