FIP...How Contagious?

I hear differing info. everywhere I turn. I'm concerned that my 15-month-old cat may develop FIP (we just put his 7-month-old half-sister to sleep). A week-and-a-half ago, his full blood panel came back normal (protein, lymphocyte and titre counts).

One vet says he could develop FIP, carry the Coronavirus for life, or never carry/ be affected by it. Another vet said it's remote that he would develop FIP.

I've read that FIP can linger for up to three weeks. One vet says to wait three months before considering adding another cat; the other vet says to never bring another cat into the same environment.

One vet says to test our cat's titres twice (a month apart) and, then, every year thereafter; the other vet says testing tires alone won't do much good, as you need to see what else is going on (referring to protein/ lymphocyte counts), which would mean a full blood panel every year. Ugh.

I'm so confused!!!! If the medical community cannot reach an agreement, how are pet owners living through FIP supposed to know: 1) the chances of another cat developing the virus; 2) how long the virus *really* lives in an environment; 3) how to determine your cat's FIP status?

Any further advice will (hopefully) be of help to me.

Thank you.

Hi Jenk-

Like you, I am sure many of us are also given conflicting stories about this disease. What one person's vet has told them another person's vet may counter with a different opinion. I was always told to not introduce another kitten or young cat into a home that was afflicted with this disease for at least a year. I was told to do a full house cleaning- washing walls, furniture everything and let it air dry. Toss out all toys, bedding, litter pans, keep the boosters current on the existing cats, and retest every six months for this disease.

I would look at Cornell University, and Tufts for the most current up-to-date information. Tufts has a marvelous cat newsletter available only through direct mail called Catnip. There is no commercial advertising inside, all of it is geared towards health issues, product reviews and tips to help cat owners.

The address to write for a subscription is

Catnip
P.O. Box 420235
Palm Coast FL 32142

Cost of subscription is $39.00 for a year. You get one a month.

Again, I am sorry for your loss, but I would be looking at the large Veterinary Schools for the best information on this, as they are the ones that do the research on diseases like this and then report their findings to the vets.

I just want to say that I know just how you feel, Jenk. I lost a cat to FIP and was a mess for months, afraid that my other kitty would get it. My vet did a ton of tests and he came back clean on everything; it's been almost two years and he has no signs of FIP whatsoever. We have another cat now, too, who is also healthy.

This is a very scary, unpredictable disease. It's especially frightening because we know so little about it.

M.A. is that the catnip magazine you are talking about ? I do have that and I can say it is a great magazine to read , very infomational (sp)