What Is FIP
“What is FIP?” I asked the emergency vet this past weekend. I did not know what FIP was. Nor was I prepared to lose my cat in just 5 days. FIP is a death sentence. FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) is a different form of coronavirus than the one that causes covid-19 in humans.
It is a viral disease caused by a feline coronavirus and occurs in wild and domesticated cats. Feline coronavirus is common and generally will not cause any severe problems UNTIL it changes to a specific strain of the coronavirus. Once they develop FIP it is almost always fatal, as the disease spreads rapidly throughout your cat’s body, causing extreme inflammation in the tissues around the brain, abdomen, or kidneys.
Diagnosing FIP
There are no specific tests to determine if your feline has FIP, but among ongoing symptoms and a full panel of bloodwork, there will be markers indicating that FIP is suspected.
Symptoms
The earlier you detect symptoms the better chance your fur-baby has. It may begin presenting itself as a kitty cold, with:
- watery eyes
- runny nose and
- lots of sneezing. Diarrhea may be present.
In hindsight, I recall Shadow had these mild symptoms shortly after we adopted him and he had his first vet check along with neutering. (He appeared in our yard and no owner was found or ever came forward to claim him.)
He seemed to recover from this and was gaining weight steadily. We have 2 other male cats. One had these mild symptoms and received a shot for “allergies” our vet determined.
Progression
When this turns into FIP you will see:
- Lack of appetite
- rapid weight loss
- changes in the eyes (white eyelid appears)
- Blindness
- Nausea /vomiting
- Lethargy
- paralysis/staggering
- Difficulty/ labored breathing
- Distended abdomen
Is There A Cure For FIP
There is treatment available. However, it is not approved by the FDA and can be costly. In order to successfully treat and cure your cat with FIP be prepared to spend both time and funds. Frequent trips to your veterinarian if your cat is severely dehydrated for intravenous fluids.
Prednisolone can hinder the advancement of the disease but is not a cure. Anti-nausea medication and medication to stimulate appetite may help in the beginning but if aggressive treatment isn’t sought very early there will be a rapid decline. I know this because we lost Shadow just yesterday, 5 days after a tentative diagnosis. His rescue kit just arrived via FedEx, never to be used on him.
Who To Contact
I can recommend a group called FIP Warriors®5.0 on FB. Due to legal issues, I cannot steer you to the specific treatment that I discovered. Please look for or follow this link: FIP Warriors® 5.0 and be sure the registered trademark is present, as shown. This group can and will direct you to the treatment your furbaby needs according to his/her signs and symptoms.
May the Lord bless and keep you and your pet family safe from this growing epidemic of FIP. I pray this post has been helpful.
L.A.Pluth
