Cornell Feline Health Center FIP PSA - Feature

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus are found in the gastrointestinal tract and do not cause significant disease.

These are referred to as feline enteric coronavirus (FeCV). Cats infected with FeCV usually do not show any symptoms during the initial viral infection, but may occasionally experience brief bouts of diarrhea and/or mild upper respiratory signs from which they recover spontaneously.

#CornellVet #FIP #FelineHealth

[xlerb]

We lost a kitten to FIP about a year ago. We made a vet appointment for him as soon as he showed signs of being ill but he went downhill so fast by the time we could get him in it was too late for treatment, he died that evening shortly after we got home from the vet. I would certainly love to see better and faster diagnosis of FIP.

[fadilahnurimani]

On June 4, 2024, I lost my 3.5-year-old male cat, Haruru Bubble Granger, to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). He was a fully vaccinated and neutered indoor cat.

During his life, Haruru only got sick once, likely due to stress after a stay at a pet hotel. Early on Thursday morning, May 30th, around 1:00 AM, I noticed he had diarrhea. His stool was yellow and much mushier than usual. He typically had dark brown, firm stool that wouldn't break apart easily when cleaning. A few hours later, at around 11:45 AM, he had another loose, yellow bowel movement. Shortly after (around 10 minutes later), he vomited a large amount of yellow liquid food and appeared weak. He had occasionally vomited a similar yellow liquid before, but never in such a significant quantity.

Concerned, I took Haruru to the vet that same day. The vet initially diagnosed him with a general illness and dismissed my concern about panleukopenia (FPV) because he was vaccinated.

The night after the first vet visit, Haruru's breathing became heavy and labored. He seemed uncomfortable and restless, searching for a different place to sleep. The next morning, May 31st, I gave him the prescribed medication (antibiotics and anti-emetics). He showed some interest in his wet food but refused his usual dry food. A few hours later (between 1-3 hours later), his breathing worsened and developed an unusual sound.

Suspecting a respiratory issue, I rushed Haruru back to the vet and requested an x-ray. The x-ray results were normal, leaving the vet unsure of the cause. They recommended hospitalization for further observation and blood tests.

The following day, Saturday, June 1st, there was no change in Haruru's symptoms. We requested a blood test, which was difficult to obtain because his blood clotted quickly. After the blood test, they performed another test involving a sample collected from his rectum. Minutes later, they confirmed FPV and suspected a "wet type" of FIP based on the blood test results.

Knowing the severity of FPV, I inquired about Haruru's chances of survival. The vet was pessimistic, as they had not had any successful FIP treatments in their practice. We asked if there were any options, and they suggested trying GS-441524, a medication not readily available in my city due to its high cost. We were advised to look for it in another city.

Throughout the weekend, Haruru's symptoms remained consistent, though his urine became increasingly yellow. We visited him daily, and despite his condition, his eyes remained bright, and he responded to us with his tail (he wasn't a very vocal cat).

On Monday night, June 3rd, at 8:30 PM, the GS-441524 finally arrived, and Haruru received his first injection. Sadly, on Tuesday morning, June 4th, at 5:03 AM, Haruru passed away peacefully with his veterinarian by his side.

Even though we knew his chances were slim, we remained optimistic, as some cat owners in Indonesia (our country) had shared stories of their cats surviving FPV and FIP. It's heartbreaking that we couldn't save him. The vet informed us that the FIP had already affected Haruru's vital organs, including his respiratory and digestive systems.

We miss Haruru dearly. We'll always love you, our precious furbaby. We hope for more extensive research to develop better methods for early FIP detection and raise awareness, so more cats can survive this devastating illness.

[AudreyGlen]

I've been researching about Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome on this website & somehow got the page explaining FIP. I confused & not sure what's going on w/my cat 'Peanut', 10 yrs old who had oral surgery 6 months ago due to extreme pain when eating dry cat food. My vet office decided he needed the surgery, they removed 7 teeth. Now....6 months later he is even worse than before. His pain when he eats(wet food gravy) is thru the roof! I insisted on seeing the Vet in charge of the entire practice. When I brought Peanut in (the other day) while trying to look into his mouth (with help from tech), Peanut literally screamed in pain & almost bit & scratched them, then jumped off the examination table where he ran to hide under the bench I was sitting on. Heartbreaking to say the least; She was so shocked that he was in such extreme pain & witnessed his reaction from just them trying to open his mouth, that she left the she returned she had a veterinarian journal that told her it was FOP(Feline Orofacial pain syndrome). Sent us home after explaining somewhat. Trusting that she knows what she's doing (as she is the 'senior' Vet Administrator there), am praying Peanut isn't fatally ill. Am doing a lot of research online now to understand everything.) Hope it isn't FIP but Im learning from all of the comments to keep a close watch on him now. I have other cats also; Thanks to all who shared and am truly sorry for the loss of your beloved babies.

[vspninehundred]

It’s interesting you said the virus potentially mutates if it gets out of the intestinal tract. Our little kitty started having diarrhea several months ago with blood present in the stool. Emergency vet found she was infected with roundworms. She was treated for that and started getting better for a while but then started having severe diarrhea with blood and mucus. She has since been diagnosed with probable FIP. So I’m wondering if maybe the roundworms caused lesions in her intestinal tract which allowed the benign virus to enter her bloodstream and mutate??

[Ginni]

My understanding is there are 2 medications that just recently became available in the US for treating this. They have been using these in Austrailia, the UK, and possibly China with hopeful outcomes for the cat. (remdesivir and GS-441524)

[urbanoasisgta]

Hope this helps my cat was bloated
, wheezing, dilated pupils at 3months old. We dident think she would live. But got the injection type 90day of needling is brutal for all parties but she's alive and its worth it! A year later!

[adam.]

Question✋️ Is there a way nutritionally or through pharmacology to strengthen the kitten's GI system? That could be given as an early kitten vaccine.

[Bradtheleo]

My baby 3 month old kitten rescently died from FIP. She had very fast breathing, lithargic, didnt want to eat, fluid in the lung sounds. It was horrible. She did have really stinky poops/diarrhea. Figured it was worms or something. Took her to the vet. They thought it was a respiratory infection common in cats, so we got liquid antibiotics. Gave them to her as prescribed. Kept getting worse.. after a couple days i was so worried, i was going to take her back to the vet the next day if she didnt eat. The next day she collapsed and had a seisure. I had nothing but shorts on, giving her mouth to mouth all the way to the vet 10 min away. It will always scarr me. RIP my beautiful Luna.. your time with us was too short...

[raizzenlife]

My cat has FIP disease. He is now admitted to the vet hospital. there is still a chance that my cat can survive with the treatment of a vet doctor here in the Philippines. When I researched, they said there is no cure for FIP. Should I continue with the vet doctor's treatment for him or should I stop it because my bills at the vet hospital are also increasing. I feel sorry for my cat and i feel sad because there is no cure. I hope if there is survival with the vet doctor's treatment, I will continue admitting him. I still haven't lost hope that he will recover.

[BlitzPlayzZz-YT]

My Persian cat got fip but I am not able to order GS 441524 online or offline in India. Now I will not be able to save my cat. 😢

[circleprincessAmyJohnston]

My dog was exposed to a cat that had fip. Do I need to be worried or is fip in cats only?