A Word About FIP

While my kittens are vaccinated against feline leukaemia, feline panleukopenia (feline enteritis) and feline viral infectious respiratory disease (cat flu) there is a rare disease which cannot be vaccinated against and is usually fatal to cats and kittens. The disease is called Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).

Before I started breeding I had a kitten who unfortunately died from this awful disease. The kitten was bred by a reputable breeder who follows the GCCF's code of ethics, it is the only case of FIP that she ever had in her cattery. There was no reason for me to suspect that the kitten would become ill when she came into my home.

It was heartbreaking to watch a normal healthy kitten succumb to FIP and be powerless to do anything about it. At the time I knew nothing about FIP, but since then I have tried to learn as much as I can about it and as a breeder I am doing my very best to try to prevent it from affecting any of my own kittens.

What is FIP?

FIP is caused by a coronavirus which some cats carry. Rarely the coronavirus mutates and causes FIP in an individual cat. A cat which carries the coronavirus normally goes on to live a perfectly healthy life and it is not fully understood why rarely some coronavirus infected cats/kittens go on to develop FIP. The coronavirus is normally transmitted from cat to cat via faeces in the litter tray and in the early stages of the coronavirus infection from sneezing. Cats normally shed the coronavirus for a few months then eventually completely eliminate it from their bodies.

There are two types of FIP, Wet FIP which causes the cats abdomen to fill with fluid which can restrict breathing, in this type of FIP the cat will usually die within a short time. Dry FIP shows a variety of different symptoms, the cat typically develops a high temperature which does not respond to antibiotics, the brain can be affected causing seizures or a head tremor. The kidneys and eyes are also often affected. A cat with dry FIP can go on to live for a few weeks or months but the outcome is the same. Both types of FIP are unfortunately fatal and any veterinary treatment is normally palliative. There are some experimental treatments for FIP but these have not yet been proven.

One thing I must stress is that FIP IS NOT contagious. Cats living in a household with an FIP affected cat cannot catch FIP from that cat. Only the coronavirus is transmitted from cat to cat and as I have said, a coronavirus infected cat only very rarely contracts FIP.

Prevention

To try to prevent FIP from occuring new kitten owners should keep their kitten as stress free as possible. It is believed that the stress of rehoming is probably one of the factors that is responsible for a coronavirus infected kitten to develop FIP. Keep your kitten away from other pets and in a quiet place for a few days until he/she finds their bearings. The kitten should have it's own litter tray and be given a warm safe place to sleep. A Feliway diffuser (see my links page) is a good idea as this can help to reduce stress levels.

I am always happy to talk to new owners who may be concerned about their new family member, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns or need advice.

More information

If you would like to learn more about FIP or donate to FIP research please visit Dr Diane Addies website at www.catvirus.com.

And Finally......

I can't emphasise enough that FIP is fortunately a rare disease. Most kittens (even those infected with the coronavirus) go on to live full and healthy lives. It is only because of my own personal experience that I have decided to include this subject on my website.