Worried About Fip In New Kittens

[Ragdollbabies]

Two weeks ago our family got a pair of adorable 10 week ragdoll kittens (brother and sister), but they got sick almost right away. For now they are back with the breeder because she wanted to take care of them (and it was part of our health guarantee), but I am worried about FIP. Here's the (long, sorry!) story, and I'm hoping some of the FIP experts on here might weigh in:

The girl kitten was smaller (1.8 lbs) than the boy (2.6 lbs) to begin with, and also less energetic. We had a hard time getting her to eat from the first night we had her, but I was able to get her to eat tiny amounts baby food and one kind of kitten food. That first night she had green slimy diarrhea, but then her stools normalized over the next few days. Initially, the boy kitten was very playful and affectionate, and ate a ton! He did throw up a few times over the first few days, and occasionally sneezed. I had both kittens seen by our vet for a checkup two days after we got them, and the vet was concerned about the girl kitten's weight but said they were otherwise healthy. A stool sample was negative.

Six days after we got them (all the while with girl kitten not eating much, despite trying TONS of different foods, kitten milk, Fortiflora, etc.), the girl kitty had a strange episode of rigidity in her back legs, followed by mild shaking. It only lasted a few seconds, though, and she seemed normal afterwards, so our vet advised us to watch and wait. The next night she had a full blown seizure which lasted several minutes and sent us rushing to the emergency vet. At the emergency vet she had a mild fever (103) and only weighed 1.4lbs!! The vet was concerned about a liver shunt or possible FIP, but she also said the seizure could be just from malnutrition (although her glucose was normal). I sent her back to the breeder to be further evaluated, and at the breeder she has been doing better, no fevers or seizures and is now gaining back her weight. The breeder's vet didn't think it was FIP (because the kittens are younger than typical for FIP?), but they didn't do blood work because the poor kitten was too small and already dehydrated.

Meanwhile, the boy kitty (still at our house) stopped eating and became less playful!! He started doing this weird thing where he would sit at his water bowl and not drink, or take tiny sips and turn his head to the side like he was having trouble swallowing. So I sent HIM back to the breeder as well (who has been wonderful through all of this craziness!). Initially he wasn't eating at her house either, but now a few days later she reports that they are both eating, playing, and gaining their weight back.

I am so happy they are doing better, but I'm still worried that this could be dry FIP. Does this sound like FIP? Can it have a waxing and waning course, with some periods of feeling better? The kittens are going to stay at the breeder for the next two weeks while they get back to normal weight. Is there any way I can be sure it's not FIP before we take them back? If they are fully recovered by then, can I breathe a sigh of relief?

Thank you so much for reading my story!!

 

[Ragdollbabies]

Bump for any replies? Does anyone know if FIP can affect kittens this young? Thank you!!

 

[Sallysoo]

Can I ask lets say if they really have FIP, would you return them back to the breeder? Meaning you will not own them? Of course I hope they are fine and healthy soon.

 

[verna davies]

Firstly I know nothing about fip but in my opinion you have done the right thing in returning them to the breeder as she should have more knowledge of it than possibly you have and can watch for signs of distress/ improvement. Before you have them back from the breeder can you ask her to have them thoroughly checked by her vet and get something in writing that they are healthy. If they are a responsible breeder they should not have a problem with this.

 

[Ragdollbabies]

Sallysoo, they are very much our kitties. The breeder just took them back to help them get healthy again. She has a vet that she absolutely loves, and has been raising kitties for 20 years, so she knows tricks to get a reluctant cat to eat that I do not know. She can also better assess how they are doing, because she knows normal kitten behavior. I'm so grateful that she has offered to take them until they gain their weight back.

My understanding is that there's no way to test for FIP, but if they do have it they will decline rapidly. We have small children and just lost our 14 yo cat to heart disease this spring, so I don't want to put my kids through the trauma of losing another pet so soon. I was just looking for reassurance that, "nope, this doesn't sound like FIP" or "yes, you should be very worried even if they are gaining their weight back."

Thanks!

 

[foxxycat]

It's a gamble-there's no way to know-hopefully your breeder can get them back in good health again. Sometimes stress causes cats to not eat=some kittens are shy and take a bit to get used to new digs. I haven't dealt with FIP either but yes they would deteriate pretty fast. I think you did the right thing-she knows her stuff and can tell when something is off. I wish I could say yes or no to your question-time will have to do it's thing.

 

[Sallysoo]

Glad to know the breeder is a responsible guy. All the best to the kitties and my prayers goes to them.

 

[Ragdollbabies]

Thank you for your well wishes! I will update as time goes on and I know whether they are getting better or worse.

One thing I didn't mention before is that both kittens were treated with Revolution about four hours before the first seizure. I just read another thread where a cat had a seizure following Revolution, so maybe that could explain part of what's going on.

 

[ignited-red]

Two weeks ago our family got a pair of adorable 10 week ragdoll kittens (brother and sister), but they got sick almost right away. For now they are back with the breeder because she wanted to take care of them (and it was part of our health guarantee), but I am worried about FIP. Here's the (long, sorry!) story, and I'm hoping some of the FIP experts on here might weigh in:

The girl kitten was smaller (1.8 lbs) than the boy (2.6 lbs) to begin with, and also less energetic. We had a hard time getting her to eat from the first night we had her, but I was able to get her to eat tiny amounts baby food and one kind of kitten food. That first night she had green slimy diarrhea, but then her stools normalized over the next few days. Initially, the boy kitten was very playful and affectionate, and ate a ton! He did throw up a few times over the first few days, and occasionally sneezed. I had both kittens seen by our vet for a checkup two days after we got them, and the vet was concerned about the girl kitten's weight but said they were otherwise healthy. A stool sample was negative.

Six days after we got them (all the while with girl kitten not eating much, despite trying TONS of different foods, kitten milk, Fortiflora, etc.), the girl kitty had a strange episode of rigidity in her back legs, followed by mild shaking. It only lasted a few seconds, though, and she seemed normal afterwards, so our vet advised us to watch and wait. The next night she had a full blown seizure which lasted several minutes and sent us rushing to the emergency vet. At the emergency vet she had a mild fever (103) and only weighed 1.4lbs!! The vet was concerned about a liver shunt or possible FIP, but she also said the seizure could be just from malnutrition (although her glucose was normal). I sent her back to the breeder to be further evaluated, and at the breeder she has been doing better, no fevers or seizures and is now gaining back her weight. The breeder's vet didn't think it was FIP (because the kittens are younger than typical for FIP?), but they didn't do blood work because the poor kitten was too small and already dehydrated.

Meanwhile, the boy kitty (still at our house) stopped eating and became less playful!! He started doing this weird thing where he would sit at his water bowl and not drink, or take tiny sips and turn his head to the side like he was having trouble swallowing. So I sent HIM back to the breeder as well (who has been wonderful through all of this craziness!). Initially he wasn't eating at her house either, but now a few days later she reports that they are both eating, playing, and gaining their weight back.

I am so happy they are doing better, but I'm still worried that this could be dry FIP. Does this sound like FIP? Can it have a waxing and waning course, with some periods of feeling better? The kittens are going to stay at the breeder for the next two weeks while they get back to normal weight. Is there any way I can be sure it's not FIP before we take them back? If they are fully recovered by then, can I breathe a sigh of relief?

Thank you so much for reading my story!!

Hi there,

I have lost 7 kittens and 1 young adult cat due to this disease.
As you know that FIP starting from coronavirus. Usually, cat that caught or exposed with coronavirus does not show any symptoms. Coronavirus can mutated to FIP, if the cat's immune system are down. Might be trigger by environment like sudden change of environment, new home, multiple household cats or large cats populations.

FIP are fatal disease that contract with cat below 2yo.

You might want to recall did they ever show any signs such respiratory problems like sneezing, watery eyes, nasal discharge, and diarrhea? Lost appetite, fever, and lost weight, unfortunately also the symptoms shown.

Dry FIP are shown those symptoms (I mentioned above)
Wet FIP has more rapid progress than dry. The cat would loss a lot of fluid from his/her body and makes the cat become dehydration and difficulties to breathe normally and leads to death...

You can ask another vet for second opinions about this. Usually they run titer test.
Unfortunately, there's no cure for FIP wether it is dry or wet.

It is so hard to write this again because it reminds me of the cats that I lost due to this evil virus.
I recall their symptoms and they contagious very quickly. Especially in kittens.

But I hope everything is okay, I cannot tell you certainly it is the FIP or not, you need second opinion from experience vet specialized in cat's virus. Let's do not lose hope on them, there's still a way for them to recover. You can do the best for them!

Cheers

 

[_spadekitty]

Dry FIP is pretty rare, I don't think its likely that both cats have managed to get it.

I'm not sure what exactly the problem is , but dry FIP wouldn't be my first thought. Did the vet test them for coronavirus? I think something like 90% of all cats have it, but its pretty much harmless. If your kittens were to test negative for coronavirus however, FIP wouldn't even be possible for them to contract. That could help ease your mind a little.

 

[Ragdollbabies]

Ignited red, I'm so sorry to hear you have lost so many kittens and cats to FIP Were the kittens from the same litter?

Right now I'm feeling optimistic that this is not FIP. The breeder reports that Evie (girl kitty who got sick first) is acting completely normal now and gaining weight each day. Irving (who got sick later) is back to eating on his own but not gaining as quickly. Neither one has a fever or any GI issues now, and they act like playful, happy kitties.

If they seem at all sick after their two weeks with the breeder, I'll take them to the vet again for a coronavirus titer and maybe to check albumin/globulin ratios, since I read that can give a good idea of whether to worry about FIP.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[ignited-red]

Ignited red, I'm so sorry to hear you have lost so many kittens and cats to FIP Were the kittens from the same litter?

Right now I'm feeling optimistic that this is not FIP. The breeder reports that Evie (girl kitty who got sick first) is acting completely normal now and gaining weight each day. Irving (who got sick later) is back to eating on his own but not gaining as quickly. Neither one has a fever or any GI issues now, and they act like playful, happy kitties.

If they seem at all sick after their two weeks with the breeder, I'll take them to the vet again for a coronavirus titer and maybe to check albumin/globulin ratios, since I read that can give a good idea of whether to worry about FIP.

Thanks for all the replies!

Thank you for your concern, yes all kitties from the same litter. They are all two generations. Actually they are the stray cat that I rescued for adoptions. But sadly they go to the rainbow bridge before found families and home. I believe God do fill my adoption form but I missed to read it

So great and relief to hear the updates from your kitties. I hope they keep doing great and becoming a healthy adult cats. Yes, titer are important and needed.

Do you think, they become ill because of stressing? Sudden change of environment from the breeder to you house?

 

[Ragdollbabies]

I just wanted to update again because my kittens came home tonight! While they are still underweight (especially Evie), they each gained a third of a pound this week, and they are eating well- tonight they gobbled up a whole 3 oz can of cat food between them. And they are chasing after toys and pouncing on each other- they have sooo much more energy than they did two weeks ago

Also, in case anyone else has had a kitten with a bad reaction to Revolution... I called Zoetis (the company that makes it), and they said that based on the timing of Evie's neurologic episodes (4 hours and 24 hours after Revolution application) and her small size, the muscle tremors/ seizure-like episodes could definitely could have been caused by the Revolution. She hasn't had any more episodes, so I'm crossing my fingers that she'll be okay. I'm not going to use Revolution on her again though!

 

[momto3cats]

After reading the whole thread, it sounds to me like you have a couple of very sensitive kitties - they were stressed by the move to a new home and so didn't eat enough, plus the little girl had that bad reaction to the Revolution, and the boy was probably upset when she "disappeared" back to the breeder. Hopefully things will go better now that they're a bit older.

 

[Ragdollbabies]

Momto3cats, I agree with you! They might have been just stressed from coming to their new home, or possibly they also had a GI virus that resolved on its own. And adding in the bad reaction to Revolution made it seem like something much more serious.

But they seem so happy today- I got them a new tunnel toy, and they just keep chasing each other in and out of it... So much energy It's hard to imagine that they'd be this playful if they had FIP.