FIP

Our darling two year old Maine Coon is a rescue we adopted from a shelter ten months ago. He suddenly showed symptoms of FIP one month ago. It seems undeniable - It's the dry form. He hasn't eaten for two weeks and is drinking water slightly. He has lost 30% of his body weight in the last month and doesn't play. He sleeps all the time in unusual postures. . . . curled up in a tight ball. He doesn't  cry or seem in much pain. We are devastated. Our VET says we will know when to put him down. Our BIG personality cat is so depressed.  What does this forum think? How long do we wait? The internet says there isn't any hope for a pet infected with FIP.

I lost a kitty to FIP years ago, and I'm so sorry that your little guy has to deal with this. My kitty's first symptom was hair loss under his chin and around his mouth. It was only a tiny bit at first but progressed pretty rapidly until the skin around his mouth was raw. I took him to the vet, and the vet said he had mange - he told me mange was caused by demodex mites that all cats harbor but that are usually kept at bay by a healthy immune system. So he suspected a problem with his immune system, tested him for feline AIDS and feline leukemia - both of these were negative. So then he tested him for FIP, and he tested positive for that one - or maybe that was just a diagnosis of exclusion, I forget. He had even been vaccinated for this one.

I wish I remembered more. One thing I can say is that I'm not the type of person (today) that considers anything a death sentence. There are probably supplements available that might help, plus miracles that happen in response to prayers. You and your kitty are in my prayers, and I hope your kitty heals.

I would try to get some food into him though while I'm praying :-) - maybe mix some wet food up with some water, and try to feed him by syringe? Maybe if you can get some nourishment into him he might be able to fight this better?

I am so sorry you are going through this.  I have been through it a couple of times with cats over the years.  It is devastating as there really isn't much you can do other than supportive care.  Are you syringe feeding your kitty?  If not I would ask your vet for either Hill's A/d or Royal Canin's Maximum Calorie/Recovery, mix it with some water and syringe feed your baby.  The decision to euthanize has to be a personal one.  In my experience the cat will usually looses their will to live and seems to be suffering when I make the decision.