My cat recently died of FIP. Does the virus linger in the environment? When is it safe to get another cat ?

Question

I am hoping a Veterinarian may see this and know the answer. FIP is short for Feline Infectious Peritonitis and it is a virus. I have found a wonderful cat at a shelter that I would like to adopt but I do not know if there is any risk of it catching this disease. My cat who died has not been in the house since July 9th. Does anyone out there know anything about this? Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

I am so sorry for your loss. My best kitty died last July from FIP. He had the dry FIP and he was sick from a kitten until he was 15 months old before he got so bad that they could finally prove that was what he had. The wet form kills them in a few months due to the fact that it fills their body cavities with fluid and they drowned in their own fluid but the dry form is so hard to diagnose. FIP usually cannot linger without a host. The virus usually lives only 7 days outside of the cat. After I lost my cat, I shampooed everything and then still waited 6 months just to be safe. My two new kitties that were replacement kitties for him, are both fine with no traces of FIP in them. Also, for your information: FIP is not contageious to other cats. FIP comes from the Caronavirus. The Caronavirus is highly contageous to all cats. About 50% of all cats, wild and domestic, have the Carona titer in them and that titer usually stays dormant for the life of most cats. In come cases, it becomes active and then becomes the Caronavirus. When it does that, it usually will spread to other cats in the household. Most of the time they do not find this except in a cattery situation. If you only have a few cats, usually less than 5, the virus will last a few weeks to a few months and then wain out. To help this happen quicker, separate all your cats and change and disinfect their liter daily due to the fact that the Caronavirus is spread through feces and saliva. In 1% of all infected Caronavirus cats, the virus mutates and leaves the intestional tract. When it does that, it becomes FIP. There are two forms of that, dry and wet, like I said above. Once it becomes FIP, the cat is only contageous to himself. He creates new cells that are infected with FIP and then his immune system attacks itself trying to compensate until he gets to weak to fight it any more. All the research out there says the same thing. I researched FIP for over a year trying to find something to help my kitty. There is no hope for them. They do have a supposed vaccine shot for it now but even the vets are stating that the side effects of that shot are worse than the disease. And, it only works on kitties that haven't been infected. But why put a cat that doesn't have it through that kind of possiblility in the first place if that vaccine has that many side effects? FIP has so many variables that every cat has their own form of FIP. That is why it is so hard to diagnose and find a cure for it. It effects every cat differently. If you suspect your cat has FIP, watch for these signs: off and on appetite; off and on diarrhea but usually on; seems to feel ok for awhile and then listless for a while; seems to ack like he is out of breath after playing; blood tests show a rise in hemoglobin and a decilne in albumin levels with a constate white blood count. Those are good signs that he is a victim of FIP.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I am sorry you lost your cat. FIP is a nasty way to go, especially if it is the wet type.

Here is one statement from a link, and I have posted the entire link in the source box:

The virus may persist in the environment for several weeks, but is easily killed with common household disinfectants. However, consider that cats with clear symptoms of FIP infection are rarely shedding virus.

And this is from the second link posted:

The coronavirus may live for up to three weeks in the environment. If viral shedding into the environment seems likely, a l:30 mixture of household bleach and water (i.e., 1 cup of bleach in a gallon of water) should be used to disinfect food and water bowls, litter pans, cages, bedding material, and items that will not be adversely affected by household bleach.

Answer 4

Just want to tell you how very sorry I am for your loss. In the past 15 years I have had 3 cats die of FIP and one who contracted the coronavirus but didn't turn to FIP. After seeing first hand how easily it can spread between cats I chose to replace all of my cat items (litterbox, food dishes, toys, etc) before bringing any other cats into my home. The sites posted in the previous answers will give a good timeframe on how long to wait, but again, just want to let you know that my thoughts are with you, it is a difficult loss to experience.

Answer 5

This site will give you EXCELLENT information. I'm sorry about your loss.

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

*Edited to add*

Dr. Addie's answer:
"I have lost a cat with FIP - how soon can I get another cat? How long will my house remain contaminated with coronavirus?

Answer: FCoV is shed in the faeces, so the main area of contamination will be the litter tray, so clean and disinfect it thoroughly with a household bleach, such as Domestos, or Milton. Remember that microscopic particles of infected, dried up, litter could have been blown around the house or taken into other rooms on feet - so do a thorough vacuuming. FCoV can possibly survive up to 7 weeks in dried up faeces. FCoV is only shed in the saliva for a very few days at the beginning of infection, so it is unlikely your cat's food bowls will be contaminated, and I expect you would give them a good wash anyway. Thankfully, FCoV is a relatively fragile virus and if you follow this advice, it is unlikely that your house will be infected for more than a few days. However, my advice would be to wait perhaps a month before introducing a new cat.

All the above assumes you only had one cat - the one who died of FIP. If you have other cats, it is likely that they, too, will be infected and you might choose to test them for FCoV antibodies every 3-6 months, keep them in small groups according to their antibody titres, and only get a new cat when your remaining cats' antibody titres return to zero.

Remember to test the new cat for FCoV antibodies too!"




...Pam

Answer 6

I am not sure when the best time to buy another cat is. I would ask the shelter because I am sure they would know all about the disease or at least be able to give you an idea of what an appropriate time span is for the virus to die. I would also clean/lysol the house your cat was in and make sure that everything is safe. Otherwise if the shelter is not sure about everything, contact your vet about it also. Good luck!

Answer 7

Heres a link I found..It says the virus can stay in the environment for a few weeks but can be killed with bleach and household cleaners....good luck!