Possible FIP in tiny kitty. He's had a hard life :(

We have a tiny kitty and have had him for about 2-1/2 weeks.  I saw an ad on Craig's List for a "Free one month old kitty."  I knew something was up and I didn't want this kitty to be a snack for a boa constrictor someplace.  So my daughter went and got him.  I called a rescue group I have worked with before and she said they would take him as soon as a foster had room for him.  We still have him.  He seemed so healthy, playful and full of the devil until Saturday afternoon/evening.  He just wanted to sleep and that was unusual for him.  Then Sunday morning he refused to eat or drink water, had diarrhea and was just SO hot!  We took him to PetSmart because that was the only vet place open on a Sunday.  They had to work him in, so we weren't there when they examined him.  We paid $120 for practically nothing.  They did a fecal, no bloodwork even though we said they could, and they said he probably had something "bacterial" or "viral."  They gave him Clavamox and Kaopectin. By Monday morning he was so bad I couldn't believe he was even alive.  Just listless, hot and sick.  I took him to my regular vet and they tested him and examined him thoroughly.  They couldn't figure out exactly what's wrong with him either.  She is afraid it's FIP!!!  And he's been around ALL my cats.  It was so stupid of me, but he seemed so healthy I let him be around my cats.  He loved playing with one of my younger cats.  He's isolated in the office now.  I got to bring him home yesterday afternoon.  Last night was rough because he was so hot again and just wanted to sleep.  He did eat a little bit and drank a little water.  I also made him drink some water (with a syringe) because he wasn't drinking much. 

I'm just worried sick!  About him and all my cats too.  He had perked up a tiny bit just before I left.  I hope he is ok.  I don't get home til about 4:30pm (CST) and I'm so anxious to see if he is ok.

I've been under alot of stress because my 82 yr old mother just passed away one month ago and I've hurt my back and have had some cluster migraines...........life is kinda crappy right now for me and all my cats and my little foster kitty.

A kitten that young can look absolutely deathly ill with a normal, run of the mill URI. Let's hope for that. Force feeding him with the famous "kitten glop" may be called for. You had him for two weeks before he showed symptoms?

I had a kitten with FIP, and it's such a mimicking disease it can seem like almost anything. I hope it's not that, but I can say that even though vets get very very freaked out about the contagiousness of it, it's not as contagious as they sometimes make out. None of my other cats got it, and one of them was the kitten's mother that licked him and nursed him when he was sick. Please let us know if he's ok when you get home!

The garden variety coronavirus/FECV is common in cats.  In a small percentage of cats, FECV can develop into FIP - about 5-10% of cats, according to the Cornell site.  This is believed to be caused by mutation of the FECV virus or an abnormal immune response with an individual cat. 

Here is some more on FIP, in terms of risk of infection to other cats from the Winn Feline Health Foundation:

"Recent research has shown that mutant FECVs arise within an individual cat. Thus, we now know that
the vast majority of cats do not "catch" FIP, but they develop it themselves from their own mutant
FECV. Non‐pathogenic FECV lives and replicates within the cells of the intestinal tract and may be shed
into the feces. But FIPV (the mutant form of FECV) has developed the ability to live and replicate
within a type of white blood cell of the immune system that is called a monocyte (when in blood) and a
macrophage (when in tissues). This ability of the virus to replicate to high levels in monocytes and
macrophages is critical to the development of FIP. FIPV are able to spread throughout the cat’s body,
and are no longer localized in the intestinal tract and so are rarely shed into feces. Transmission of FIP
from cat to cat is considered to be rare. This fact has caused leading FIP researchers to state that cats
that are ill with FIP are unlikely to be a risk to other cats and thus do not need to be isolated."

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/FIP_Web_2010.pdf
 

As such, I wouldn't be super concerned over the possibility of little kitty having passing on FIP to your other cats, if they are healthy adults, if indeed he has FIP.  

By the way, the only way to definitively diagnose FIP is through biopsy or examination of tissue postmortem.

Bless you truly for taking this kitty in.  As with the poster above, I really hope that this is just a run of the mill URI.  Please keep him hydrated and maybe force-feed him with some high quality canned like mrblanche suggested? 

How is he doing tonight?  Please keep us updated.

I just wanted to say that I just recently got passed a FIP scare with my 7 kitties (all under the age of 1 year).  They all took turns with having fevers and lethargy and omg the diarrhea was terrible!  At first the vet thought it was that they were exposed to coccidia so they went through a 3 week regimen of Albon which was terrible getting them all to take it since it's so nasty tasting.  That did absolutely nothing for them so more tests were done and they kept coming back negative for everything.  Meanwhile my kitties were going through fevers and the diarrhea was not letting up at all...even when they didn't have fevers.  Finally my vet did an "expensive" test and it came back positive for FCV (feline coronavirus) and she was so serious and tragic on the phone before she had to go that I started freaking out.  I of course headed for the internet (worst decision EVER) and began to have a panic attack when I saw that typical symptoms of FCV were merely sniffles and sneezes and there was nothing said about diarrhea or fevers or lethargy except for when it mutates into FIP.  I was crying in the middle of my math class.  I called my vet after I got out and left a VM for her to call me and when she did she said the odds of it being FIP were slim to none and I shouldn't worry.  Over the past several weeks all of them have been slowly getting better and even the diarrhea is almost gone.

I really hope your kitten doesn't have FIP and odds are that he doesn't...is he feeling any better at all?  When my babies were feverish I put a wet hand towel in the freezer and then pulled it out and put it under a blanket for them to lay on.  It seemed to work a little for them. 

Sorry I haven't answered any of your WONDERFUL posts!  I've been otherwise occupied.......Migraines are better....now my back is killing me.  Still depressed and in shock over my mother's death.

But, I must say your posts sound very encouraging about little Keko!!  He was in such sad shape when I took him in to the vet. 

First of all, yes....I had him for 2 weeks before he showed any signs of being ill, and it hit all of a sudden.  He was fine Saturday a.m. and by Saturday evening (last week) he was starting to want to sleep alot, appetite was very small, didn't want to play.  Sunday all he could do was sleep.  Sunday night he was absolutely listless.  I've never been so concerned over a little kitty as I was over him. 

All your posts sound wonderful to me!  My vet of course, is on the cautious side about the contagious-ness and I can't blame her, but it makes me feel much better to know that it isn't considered as highly contagious as it once was thought to be!  This guy is the sweetest little fellow and so adorable!  He had a hard start in life.  3 weeks ago 2 men in a SUV pulled up into this lady's yard, slowed down and threw 2 tiny kitties out of the window then took off!  The other kitty got away and the neighbors never could find him (they lived near a wooded area).......little Keko was caught right away and they took him in, but put him on Craig's List as a "free one month old kitty."  That's when my daughter and I got involved. We found out that they were keeping little Keko in a kennel in a garage during the day while they were at work.  (At this time it was nearly 90 degrees every day--we live in TX and we just now - today - got our first cold front.) 

God works in mysterious ways.  Normally I would not have had the money to help this kitty as much as I have.  It has cost me nearly $300 to get him to the point he is today (which is seemingly perfectly healthy.)  I had just received money on a small life ins. policy that my mother had taken out with me as the beneficiary.  That is how I was able to pay for the vet bills.  My mother would approve.  I know she is up there smiling down because this kitty is doing so well. 

I just hope he stays that way.  The vet said today that she is leaning toward it not being FIP because it came on so fast, and he got better so fast too!  All my cats are adults and healthy with the exception of my 18 yr old that is pretty feeble, but he doesn't go near her.  It's like he knows she doesn't want to put up with his kitty shenanigans.

BLESS ALL OF YOU!!!!!!! 

So glad to hear he is doing better.   

Yes, our moms are very proud of us.....from above.

God Bless.

Glad to hear he's doing better.  I meant to also suggest Intelliflora (probiotic) for diarrhea.  It was the ONLY thing (and I tried it all) that helped with the runs.
 

What great news, so glad to hear he's better now!!    He's very lucky to have found you.

All the best!

Yes, he's doing much much better!  I need to contact the rescue group and see if they are interested in taking him at this time.....