Should I be worried about Wet Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)?

I've been stressed about this all day.

I adopted Bitsy from the local Humane Society mid December 2009. They estimated her age as 3 yrs, my own Vet figured more like between 1-2 yrs. She was spayed at the beginning of December (by them). She'd previously delivered kittens in Sept 2009 (H.S. received her pregnant), and went off for a time to a foster home while she weaned her 3 kittens. Following that she went back to the H.S.

I had her tested for FIV and FeLeuk - both negative. She'd been properly dewormed. Very healthy cat.

Very sweet, energetic cat who loves to eat.

She was about 7 lbs the day I adopted her. Her physique was very svelte, almost looked a little skinny to me (I'm used to my big older cats who weigh between 10-11.5 lbs).

She eats a good scoff of canned food twice a day (at least the size equivalent of a can of Fancy Feast)...plus nibbles on premium dry food.

A couple weeks ago I took her into the Vet because I noticed a sore on her ear. They weighed her. I nearly crapped when her weight was 10.2 lbs ! Now I'll admit, she's looked a lot more healthy over the past couple of months so I knew she was likely gaining some weight but not 3 lbs !!! This didn't seem to concern the Vet; he just said she's eating too much.

Well lately I've noticed that when she's standing and I'm looking down at her, the sides of her abdomen almost look like they're bulging out a bit. The thing is though - despite the 3 lb weight gain, you can still easily feel her ribs so it's not like she's fat.

This morning I started to panic thinking, "OMG, maybe she's pregnant!" I ended up calling the H.S. to confirm that they truly DO remove the uterus when spaying (feared maybe they did some kind of cost-effective spaying, like just tying the tubes, who knows?). They confirmed the uterus was removed..........so that rules out pregnancy (whew!)

Then I started to think, "OMG - maybe she has Wet FIP." I know that cats with this will have fluid build-up in their abdomen.

I called the H.S. back and asked them about it (spoke to one of the techs in their health department). She did say that definitely do have cats there who have FIP, they obviously don't screen for it, and any cat that's in there is at risk of contracting it so there was always the chance Bitsy was exposed to it, etc.

She told me that in a cat w/ ascites (fluid build-up in abdomen), it's pretty obvious what it is..........when you feel their belly it feels "squishy" and like pressing on a balloon. And they also LOSE weight if they're at that stage of FIP.....have diarrhea, are lethargic, loss of appetite. DEFINITELY not the case with her.

Bitsy loves to eat, she lives for meal time. A total bundle of energy, racing around here constantly, playing with the other cats, very curious. Normal formed poops. Bright, active.

When you feel her belly and sides of the abdomen, they don't feel squishy at all. Firm but not in an overly-firm way. Just a normal firmness. In fact, her underside feels quite muscular and toned, if anything.

I don't know where she put that 3 lbs considering I can still feel her ribs.......though I guess 10 lbs isn't that overweight?

The Vet should easily be able to tell by feeling her belly if something seems amiss?

I've been stressed about this all day.

Thanks for any info.

I did manage to beg for an appointment with my Vet tomorrow afternoon

From what you describe it doesn't sound like wet FIP - but I'm glad you are getting her checked again. I do know that if they get the wet form they are dead in a very short time and nothing can be done about it.

Hubby had that happen to a barn cat kitten before I met him - the poor thing died in a short time.

Sounds to me like your cat was suddenly relieved of a lot of stress and has been eating better and exercising less. This is common with cats from the shelter. I hope that's all it is, anyway.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Sounds to me like your cat was suddenly relieved of a lot of stress and has been eating better and exercising less. This is common with cats from the shelter. I hope that's all it is, anyway.

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Sounds to me like a happy camper who is finally eating a good diet and normal amount of food... No longer malnourished.... IMO that doesn't sound like FIP...

Sounds like Attitude and she's just chubby. In my case the vet wants that and like it since she has feline leukemia. She was 5.6 lbs a few months ago(around Christmas) when she got spayed and tipped the scales at 10.1 lbs Thurs at the vet.

Attitude's stomach feels the exact same way. My vet told me she's just fat.

It sounds like you just have a chubby cat.

Taryn

I am glad you are going back to the vet... I hope it is just a bit of stress relief fat ..

My Jennie (rescue) is less than nine pounds, and I can palpate her ribs easily, but she has a very round pot belly. This is from carrying and bearing multiple litters. When she was spayed, my vet said, judging by the state of her uterus that she had had at least three litters.

From certain angles she looks quite sleek, but from other angles you might think she is over weight.

I agree with a vet check to ease your mind (I think peace of mind is worth a trip to the vet anytime) but probably she just "shaped funny"

Please keep us updated.

Hello, I am new to this site.. I was browsing and saw your question and thought I might be able to enlighten a little. FIP is a mutation of a strain of coronavirus, and it possibly a response to each cat's immune system whether they contract it or not. That being said, just because your cat was exposed to FIP does not mean she will contract it... some cats do, some cats don't. Also, I agree with the technician you spoke to, she would have symptoms at this stage. However, a veterinary exam is warranted. Other conditions can cause a distended abdomen, I.E. worms, or it could just be fat. If you are concerned about FIP, you can ask your veterinarian to confirm a negative diagnosis with an abdominal centesis, which would be positive at this stage if it were FIP.

I hope that may ease your mind or clear up any questions you may have about FIP. I also hope that your vet visit goes well!

So, how was the vet visit?

My Vet appt for this past Sat. had to be switched to tonight, just got back from the Vet.

Her weight the day I adopted her (Dec 12) was 3.12kg. A month later it was 3.75kg. Early Feb it was up to 4.62kg. Tonight it was 4.95kg!

Vet didn't think she was pregnant (my previous fear that maybe the H.S. didn' really remove her uterus when they spayed, maybe they took some kind of short-cut like just tied tubes) and even though I've had her now for nearly 12 weeks, he suggested xray to check for pregnancy just in case. NEGATIVE.

He then suggested we check thyroid level to see if by some chance she's HYPOthyroid; they'll call me tonight with the result.

If that's negative, he suspects it's just that she's eating too much, likely from having been a stray who perhaps had to scrounge for food and is now eating like a fiend as a result. She definitely DOES have a very healthy appetite, that is for sure.

If the latter is the cause of her significant weight gain, I don't know what I'm going to do. I have 4 other indoor cats and 2 of them aren't much for wet food and they nibble on dry all day. He suggested I re-train them; feed them only dry and wet twice a day, no more free feeding. I just don't see how this will work. I don't have a lot of time in the mornings to wait around for them to eat their fill. I'd have to get up a lot earlier than 5:30am so they had enough time to eat. Ugh.

I feed all 5 of them 1 can of Friskies morning and night, plus 1 small can of the Fancy Feast Gourmet (Florentine) twice a day.......plus they free feed on Felidae dry and Holistic Select (think it's the holistic line from Eagle Pack?). i don't know the calorie content for the latter; don't know how to find that out? Maybe I need to find something with less calories?

call the 800 number on the bag or email the company

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

He suggested I re-train them; feed them only dry and wet twice a day, no more free feeding. I just don't see how this will work. I don't have a lot of time in the mornings to wait around for them to eat their fill.

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You don't put it all down and let the cats eat their fill, that's no better than free feeding. You put out a measured appropriate portion for each cat that can be finished in a few minutes - 2-3 times a day. Generally once they're used to it the slower eaters will finish up their food more quickly than they would it if were always down.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

You don't put it all down and let the cats eat their fill, that's no better than free feeding. You put out a measured appropriate portion for each cat that can be finished in a few minutes - 2-3 times a day. Generally once they're used to it the slower eaters will finish up their food more quickly than they would it if were always down.

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Thyroid level good.

Do you mean put out 5 separate bowls and expect that each will eat from their own bowl, a specified amount? ugh. The old gals, 13-15+ yrs, I really doubt will go along with that. They're very finnicky and don't take changes to the food routine very well.

Years ago when I only had 3 cats, I had one who had FLUTD and I had feed him Rx food for that and the Vet at the time told me to feed them like you suggested. It just never worked. They would simply not stay at their respective bowls. They'd all end up migrating to one bowl and the pig of the bunch would eat the most. I tried for a few weeks and it didn't fly.

She must really be eating a lot because Hobee, my 2 yr old, he eats a lot and he's as active and frisky as her and he's maintained a consistent weight of 11 lbs since I got him a year ago, and he too had been a stray. Funny why things are so different with Bitsy?

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

Do you mean put out 5 separate bowls and expect that each will eat from their own bowl, a specified amount? ugh. The old gals, 13-15+ yrs, I really doubt will go along with that. They're very finnicky and don't take changes to the food routine very well.

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That's what I do. 4 for the adults and the kittens share a plate. Siri would not eat otherwise, if one of the cats gets too close to her while she's eating she'll either growl/attack or more commonly run away and refuse to eat until her next meal.

The idea is to make the meal enough that they get what they need for that meal, but that they all finish around the same time. I have problems with one, I don't believe the cat understands chewing... he pretty much inhales his food. I have to watch him otherwise he will go smack Siri or try to push kittens out of the way. But otherwise it works out ok with the others.

I have a fatty, too. She gained 3 lbs over a year. At first, she use to throw up all the time and I found out she was allergic to chicken. The vet suggested a chicken free diet. When I found a food she wouldn't throw up on she gained weight and now she's fat. I have 2 other cats that aren't fat and like to nibble on dry food. I usually measure 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at night for all the cats. They usually eat it all within a couple of hours after putting it down. The non fat cats eat mostly wet food and I think that keeps them at an ideal weight. My chubby girl only eats dry food and I think that is what packs on the pounds.