Hi everyone, I'm new here and I'm hoping to get some advice! This story might be too emotional for some, so please don't read on if you are sensitive to conversations regarding death.
My family and I have had a rough few years after losing our 14 year old cat to what was assumed to be feline asthma, then we lost our 12 year old dog to kidney failure, and then right out of no where our 6 year old cat was diagnosed with wet FIP.
It was a strange situation. He was an indoor cat, always healthy, always eating, etc. Then one day, I thought he felt a bit bony on his back. I weighed him, but there was no weight loss. I decided to bring him to the vet to be on the safe side. Imagine my shock, after an x-ray, I'm told that his entire abdomen was full of fluid and no organs were visible. He had FIP and the vet urged me to put him down right then and there.
I didn't believe it. I brought him to another vet for a second opinion. He drew out the fluid and took blood, both for testing. Of course there is no definite test for FIP, but he also agreed that everything pointed to that diagnosis and doing anything to keep my cat alive would be like throwing medicine in a bottomless barrel.
I went away in disbelief again. I kept my cat going for one week after that. He wouldn't eat his cat food, but would happily lick chicken baby food from my fingers. One evening before I went to bed, I was feeding him and I could see in his face that he was wasting away. Sure, he had a big fluid filled belly, but it was an illusion. Behind that, his eyes were sinking in from the weight loss and he looked like a walking skeleton. It was then and there that I knew no matter how much I wanted to ignore that he was fatally ill, he was going to die soon and it would be up to me to decide whether it would be in a nice way or a painful way.
The next morning, I called to him while he was sleeping in his cat bed. He tried to get up, but his back end fell over because he was too weak. I knew today was the day. It was so hard, the whole thing was REALLY hard. He was still eating his baby food, loving to be brushed and petted, purring up a storm, etc. I could almost believe he was normal, except that he was wasting away before my eyes, despite eating!
My husband had to bring him in, because I couldn't face putting him to sleep. I felt like I had let him down. I had given up on him. The vet told us that we couldn't blame ourselves. In fact, he said that a 6 year old cat with wet FIP is extremely rare. He thinks that our cat contracted the corona virus from his own mother and had a second contributing factor, an underlying illness that was compromising his immunity system which allowed the corona virus gene to mutate at such an unusual age.
I don't really know what to believe anymore. We still have 3 other cats at home though and now I'm always worried about them. Every single time they sneeze or don't eat every bite of their food, I think, oh please don't you get FIP too. It's almost a guarantee that they have the corona virus, but I try to remind myself that they have the same chances as the other 80% of cats which also have the virus. It does not mean that it will turn into FIP. Aren't the chances only like 3-5%?
I'm almost sure that my oldest cat is fine at 14.5 years old. He lived the entire 6 years with my other cat, therefore he certainly contracted the corona virus. What will happen though when my oldest passes away and I would like to get another kitten or cat?
I will still have 2 cats who have been exposed and I wouldn't know what to do. Kittens are susceptible to FIP due to their immature immunity systems, yet it would add extra stress to try and introduce an older cat. Stress is a contributing factor to the development of FIP. Where does that leave me?
Would a responsible pet owner not introduce any cat to a house where the corona virus is likely circulating? Or would they just go ahead, because after all 80% of cats have the corona virus?
What do you think? I'd love to hear everyone's opinion, whether positive or negative.
My family and I have had a rough few years after losing our 14 year old cat to what was assumed to be feline asthma, then we lost our 12 year old dog to kidney failure, and then right out of no where our 6 year old cat was diagnosed with wet FIP.
It was a strange situation. He was an indoor cat, always healthy, always eating, etc. Then one day, I thought he felt a bit bony on his back. I weighed him, but there was no weight loss. I decided to bring him to the vet to be on the safe side. Imagine my shock, after an x-ray, I'm told that his entire abdomen was full of fluid and no organs were visible. He had FIP and the vet urged me to put him down right then and there.
I didn't believe it. I brought him to another vet for a second opinion. He drew out the fluid and took blood, both for testing. Of course there is no definite test for FIP, but he also agreed that everything pointed to that diagnosis and doing anything to keep my cat alive would be like throwing medicine in a bottomless barrel.
I went away in disbelief again. I kept my cat going for one week after that. He wouldn't eat his cat food, but would happily lick chicken baby food from my fingers. One evening before I went to bed, I was feeding him and I could see in his face that he was wasting away. Sure, he had a big fluid filled belly, but it was an illusion. Behind that, his eyes were sinking in from the weight loss and he looked like a walking skeleton. It was then and there that I knew no matter how much I wanted to ignore that he was fatally ill, he was going to die soon and it would be up to me to decide whether it would be in a nice way or a painful way.
The next morning, I called to him while he was sleeping in his cat bed. He tried to get up, but his back end fell over because he was too weak. I knew today was the day. It was so hard, the whole thing was REALLY hard. He was still eating his baby food, loving to be brushed and petted, purring up a storm, etc. I could almost believe he was normal, except that he was wasting away before my eyes, despite eating!
My husband had to bring him in, because I couldn't face putting him to sleep. I felt like I had let him down. I had given up on him. The vet told us that we couldn't blame ourselves. In fact, he said that a 6 year old cat with wet FIP is extremely rare. He thinks that our cat contracted the corona virus from his own mother and had a second contributing factor, an underlying illness that was compromising his immunity system which allowed the corona virus gene to mutate at such an unusual age.
I don't really know what to believe anymore. We still have 3 other cats at home though and now I'm always worried about them. Every single time they sneeze or don't eat every bite of their food, I think, oh please don't you get FIP too. It's almost a guarantee that they have the corona virus, but I try to remind myself that they have the same chances as the other 80% of cats which also have the virus. It does not mean that it will turn into FIP. Aren't the chances only like 3-5%?
I'm almost sure that my oldest cat is fine at 14.5 years old. He lived the entire 6 years with my other cat, therefore he certainly contracted the corona virus. What will happen though when my oldest passes away and I would like to get another kitten or cat?
I will still have 2 cats who have been exposed and I wouldn't know what to do. Kittens are susceptible to FIP due to their immature immunity systems, yet it would add extra stress to try and introduce an older cat. Stress is a contributing factor to the development of FIP. Where does that leave me?
Would a responsible pet owner not introduce any cat to a house where the corona virus is likely circulating? Or would they just go ahead, because after all 80% of cats have the corona virus?
What do you think? I'd love to hear everyone's opinion, whether positive or negative.
