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Dealing With Feline Infectious Peritonitis (fip)

25 15:38:00

Dealing With Feline Infectious Peritonitis (fip)

FIP is a relatively uncommon viral infection caused by a particularly infectious strain of feline coronavirus (FCoV), and has been recognised only since the mid-1960s. It affects mainly multi-cat households where there are more than four cats living together indoors, when the instance can be as high as 5%. Within that group, it tends to affect younger cats under the age of two years, and kittens in particular. FCoV in itself is not unusual, and many cats carry it without any undue damage. In most cases, the worst it will do is to cause diarrhoea lasting only a day or so, but it is when the FIP strain is passed to a cat carrying even the mildest form of the FCoV that the combination of the two can cause FIP, although many cats do become naturally immune to it.

There are two forms of FIP, both of which start with symptoms including a high temperature, loss of appetite, dehydration and weight loss, which make it initially difficult to diagnose as these symptoms can also occur in FeLV and FIV. One form of the disease is known as 'wet' FIP, the classic peritonitis which is inflammation of the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity and covering the abdominal organs. An inflammatory discharge collects in the abdomen and often in the chest, causing swelling and difficulty in breathing. In 'dry' FIP, although there is no accumulation of fluid, the kidneys, eyes (which can change colour) and nervous tissue may be damaged. Onset of the symptoms of FIP can vary from a few days to a few months whilst it incubates, and unfortunately there is neither a vaccine nor any treatment for it.

As the name suggests, FIP is highly infectious and is usually transmitted via faeces or via the coat of the cat when it has groomed itself immediately after using the litter tray, but the virus itself does not survive for long in an open environment. There is minimal risk of FIP being transmitted at a cat show so long as proper precautions are taken with regard to disinfecting hands in between each cat being handled, and proper disinfecting of judges' trolleys and tables. A cat in the very early stages of the disease may not show any symptoms initially, and even the most responsible cat owner may not realise that their cat has contracted FIP, although the stress of a show may hasten the later symptoms. The same would apply to boarding catteries, where good hygiene practices should already be in place regarding disinfectants and not sharing litter scoops or other equipment between cats from different households.

Any owner suspecting their cat may have contracted FIP should go to their Vet immediately. It is a difficult disease for a Vet to diagnose, as many of the early symptoms can be characteristic of other illnesses. In the case of 'wet' FIP, testing a sample of the chest or abdominal fluid can be helpful as FIP has a high concentration of protein and globulin, although this won't necessarily prove to be totally conclusive. The only conclusive diagnosis of FIP is by biopsy or post-mortem examination to look at the microscopic changes in the affected tissue. Even after euthanasia it is still important to establish the cause of such a rapid decline, in order to help owners to manage the situation with regard to other cats in the household.

If a cat is diagnosed with FIP and appears not to be suffering, it may be brought home, and ideally kept separate from other cats in the household, particularly with regards to litter trays and bedding where there are young cats or kittens - older cats may well have developed a natural immunity to it. Good hygiene should always be maintained with regular and frequent use of a cat-friendly disinfectant in the communal areas shared by all cats in the same home. It is recommended that indoor cats have a ratio of two cats per litter tray and that there are several bedding areas.

If you lose a cat from FIP, you will need to have a period of around six months before you introduce another cat to your household if you have other cats, especially if you are intending bringing in a kitten or young cat. During this time you should thoroughly disinfect all food and water bowls as well as bedding and other communal area - it would be safest to destroy all bowls, trays, bedding and toys and buy new equipment to be doubly sure that you have eradicated FIP from your household. You should also have your other cats blood-tested to check for any abnormalities in red and white blood cell counts, which might point to other cats being infected. If you do not have any other cats, you do not need to wait quite so long before acquiring anew cat, although a couple of months would be a wise precaution to allow for a thorough cleansing programme. Needless to say, it would be very irresponsible to take any cats to a show from a household where there has been an instance of FIP, or to re-home any cats that have been exposed to it.

There is no risk of FIP being passed to humans and it is another of the species-specific diseases, even though the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus that affects humans is a type of coronavirus. However, there is a small risk of humans passing the disease between cats if domestic hygiene is not maintained and if you were to stroke an infected cat (or clean out their litter tray) and then immediately touch another cat, it's possible they could then contract the disease by licking their coat.