Help! my beautiful cat may have FIP?

Question

I have an 18 month old red birman cat. He came down with an ear infection some months ago and was treated with Canaural. He then developed a small white stringy mass in his eye which I was told was probably due to a trauma to his eye or head. This has cleared up but he then became lethargic and off his food. Since then he is fine in himself, though still lethargic and has become unsteady on his back legs. He has no trouble breathing, no change to his eyes, no distending of the stomach. He has high levels of protein in his blood and anaemia but given the lack of all other signs of FIP, I am trying to find out what else it can be. He has tested negative for FLV and FIV (which he should as his vaccinations are all up to date). I am being tortured waiting for further tests for FIP but have read that only 18% of suspected cases of FIP actually do turn out to be FIP.

Please can someone help me.

Answer 1

Doing the test is the best thing. FIP can present itself in many different ways, making it hard to diagnose. FIP in its "dry form" does not cause any fluid buildup and is often missed. It sounds like you have a good vet that is doing the right things in the right order. I know it's hard to do, but be patient. Medicine is as much art as it is science. The right answers can be hard to find.

Answer 2

I had an experience with FIP when one of my cats (then a 2-3 mo. old kitten) died from it. He had the effusive/wet type FIP and in a matter of weeks he passed away (he had to be euthanised, it's getting hard for him to breathe). FIP is rare but once a cat has been diagnosed to have it, they quickly succumb to the disease (at least for the "wet" type).

I hope your cat doesn't have FIP (fingers crossed) but it's a good idea to get a second opinion. I'm attaching a link of a FIP research site (one of the best resources):

http://www.dr-addie.com/

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 3

Itis a losing battle. There is no good test for FIP and once symptoms start, there is NOTHING that can be done. I have lived through it with several Siamese kittens and it sucks. I have done everything and had a few to Cornell to no avail. If the cat gets worse and does not respond to any treatment, you have no choice but to euthanize.

Answer 4

I wish I could answer your question as I am the mom of a 19 year old and 3 year old kitty. Just keep researching and I wish you and your kitty well.