Wet FIP. Please share your experience

my vet believes my cat has wet FIP.  distended belly filled with fluid for a week now.  had xray and ultrasound done, and the fluid tested.  it was very light almost clear yellow fluid and test showed high levels of protein.  over the past week he has been sleeping most of the time and not himself, like the life has been sucked out of him.  he has moments of being cuddly and purring, but mostly lays or sleeps.  no fever.  eating, drinking and using his litter box, although his appetite has decreased.  he used to want to eat non stop and was the most affectionate kitty ever.

he is almost 5 mos, and we had him for 3 mos.  he had diarrhea since we got him and cases of watery eyes/sneezing, which are all under control now.

no other symptoms.

the vet said that the best case scenario is him lasting till the end of the year...

pls share your experiences with wet FIP.  what symptoms did your cat have, how did it go on, and how long till the cat was gone.  i'm devastated.  but most importantly need to know how to prepare my daughter for this.  pls help!

The very best place for info, support, treatment advice - and, experience sharing - would be right here: Support and Info for Owners of FIP Cats - Online Group (link)

After 12 years of operating and, with over 2000 members and their cats, those people know 'a thing or two' about FIP.

Just click on the purple + Join Group button on that page. A separate Yahoo email addy will ensure your best management of the back-and-forth messages and info.

....and, please keep us posted.

FIP is very difficult to diagnose.  If that is what it is unfortunately there is nothing that can be done.  The wet form does go fast and euthanasia before the kitty suffers to much is the best way to go.  

All i read on message boards about "wet" FIP states how fast it goes.  My vet telling me that it could be months is what is puzzling then...  i have read many articles on the web on FIP, and some say that cats with "wet" FIP can last up to a year.  anything beyond would indicate that a cat had something else.  I would like to hear from personal experiences.  I don't think my kitty is suffering now, but not sure if he is depressed or just has no energy and that's why he is not active???  i'm really struggling here.  been taking care of this little guy like he is my baby...  can't believe this is his fate...  i want to make sure he doesn't suffer, but how do i know when it is his time???  all i see posted is how when people get FIP diagnose they put the cat down.  why???  are they suffering and i just can't tell?  sorry i ramble...  still trying to make sense of it all and come to grips with this. this is not how it was supposed to go...

lilysam - I don't think I was clear enough in my post (#2 above) so I've made it clearer for you........there's a place online where 2000 people like you have and are gathered right now to answer all these questions.......please go back and read that post.  The link to the group is in the first sentence there.  THEY have FIP kitties. THEY have the experience to answer your questions directly.

It gets worse and they do ultimately begin suffering from fluid buildup particularly in the lungs.  There have been some things tried for the dry form.  There has been some success with polyprenal immunostimulant on the dry form.  It has to be started at the beginning of symptoms when most kitties aren't diagnosed.  It's a very expensive medication that extends life by a few months.