What You Should Know About FIP
By Betty Sleep
Some of the most dreaded words a cat owner can hear from their veterinarian, is “your cat has FIP”.
FIP stands for feline infectious peritonitis, a mutation of the common corona virus which is present in almost all catteries and multi-cat households.
Many cats carry elevated levels of the virus in their blood without being infected, or asymptomatic carriers. Why then, is it so deadly?
When people ask me about the chances of their cat getting or having FIP, I try to use a comparison to a human disease, as they may be more familiar with that, and have some understanding of how it progresses. The example I use is commonly known in people as “flesh-eating disease”, or necrotizing faciaitis. This often fatal disease in humans is a mutation of the common strep throat virus. As yet, science has no explanation for why it mutates in some people, and not in others. It has been beaten with prompt and aggressive intervention. Unfortunately, that is not the case for FIP.
The corona virus can be considered something like a cold virus. It exists in a household, but not everyone is going to get it, let alone is someone going to die from a severe form of it. You can perform a blood test to determine the level of corona virus, but this is not an indication that your cat has active FIP. Only that it has a high level of the virus in its blood. This can mean it is a carrier, it has been in close contact with cats who have active FIP, or it can mean nothing more than the cat is stressed.
FECV, or feline enteric corona virus is the common form present in many cat households. It’s spread by the fecal to mouth route, making thorough disinfecting of litter boxes and their surroundings, imperative as a preventative measure. Many cats acquire FECV and recover. Others do not recover, in the sense that they become shedders of the virus, but are perfectly healthy themselves. These are the cats which may pose a problem for other cats susceptible to the virulent mutation.
The solution of course, is to separate the shedder from the other cats. It does not mean you have to euthanize or give them away. Indeed, if your other cats are in good health, it may not be a concern at all in a pet household of two or three animals, which are not in contact with other cats. Identifying shedders is nearly impossible, with the exception of a PCR fecal analysis, which is not yet available to the public.
There is also no known way to identify cats who will contract the mutation which becomes FIP. It is not known to be genetic, or hereditary in origin, but recent research indicates that cats with a tendency to a compromised immune system, e.g. those who “do poorly”, don’t thrive, and contract various minor ailments, may be at the highest risk.
If your cat is seriously ill with symptoms such as high fever, lethargy, vomiting (which are not exclusive to FIP), it can be many things. At this point in time there is no exact diagnosis, except on post mortem, where a pathologist will either find thick, viscous strings of mucoid type material in the abdomen (know as “wet” FIP), or lesions somewhere in the body, which can be very difficult to locate. (known as “dry” FIP)
There is a vaccine, but its efficacy and possible side effects are hotly debated, and it is used by very few breeders, who consider the risks outweigh the chances of contracting the virus.
The bottom line is: if your vet diagnosis your cat with FIP, ask them how they made the diagnosis. Blood titres are unreliable. So is “guessing” on the basis of a certain set of symptoms. If you have the opportunity, your best bet is taking the cat to a teaching facility, where they would be more familiar with the condition. An exploratory can be done for the wet form, which often will show itself in a swollen abdomen in advanced cases. But lesions are harder to locate. The decision is yours, as the pet owner. Ask for all the information available. You have the right to a second opinion, and to insist on treatment if it is at all possible your cat has another condition. For more on FIP, visit the Cat Fancier’s Association article by Dr. Susan Little, DVM at www.cfainc.org/health/FIP.html.
About the Author:
I am an obedience instructor, kennel owner, and ten year breeder/exhibitor of Golden Retriever dogs. Over the years I have experienced the best and worst of pet buying and selling, and responsibility/irresponsibility on the part of both breeders and buyers.
That, combined with my other hobby of breeding Birman cats, which I also show, and have placed in several countries, gives me a fairly comprehensive overview of pet care, ownership, training, feeding, and health issues.
I have worked with animals for 30 years, and been a freelance writer for 25 of those, contributing to the fields of fiction, non fiction, historical research, humour, statistal data, childrens works, in a number of medias including television, radio and the Internet.
Currently, I am a service provider on www.elance.com, having filled assignments in editing a health calendar, a 19 page website, creating an ad campaign, and designing logos/web pages. I am also a contributing author for Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into History, release date: Sept.20, 2001.
For the last three years, I have been a contractor/host for Talk City Inc; where I was the forum Manager of Health and Wellness, and a topical conference host on a variety of subjects including pet care.
Writing is a hobby and a passion, and works well with my at home activities, here in Canada...when I get a chance between dog walks and litter scooping :-)
Article courtesy of Suite101.com.
