Just lost one of our cats to FIP. :( Is it safe to get another cat?

We just lost our baby boy to FIP.  He had only been with us for 8 months and was barely a year old when he died.  It was heartbreaking to watch him go from being a playful kitten to such a sick cat.  We made the decision to have him euthanized last week.

Now, we are full of so many questions.  Where did he get it?  He was in a foster home before we got him but was born outside in someone's garage.  Our vet assumes that he was sick when we brought him home.  Should we worry about our other cat, a 5 year old female who is otherwise in great health?  Since there is no way to test for it, how do we know what to look for?  How long should we be concerned?  And finally...can we ever get another cat?  There are so many opinions about FIP.  My understanding is that it's a genetic mutation of FCoV and despite it being considered a very contagious illness in cats, it's actually fairly rare.  Some say it's safe to get another cat right away.  Others say it's best to wait 3-6 months or up to a year.  And still others say we should never bring another cat into our home and near our other kitty, even if she seems healthy. 

It's been an overwhelming week, from discovering my sweet boy was sick to losing him only took about a day.  Now, I feel there are more questions than answers.  I spent the first night throwing away everything he had touched, mainly the litter box and food bowls.  Maybe that was overkill but in the moment, I felt like I wanted to do something.  My family adores cats and I don't see us being a 1 cat family for long. 

Has anyone been through this?  Any advice or suggestions?  I'm lost right now!

mamamia said:

 

Click to expand...

I'm so sorry for your loss, its such a terrible disease.  You will get differing opinions.  You are correct, the corona virus is common, FIP is rare.  So having corona virus is not a good predictor for FIP.  FIP tends to show up in higher density cat populations, catteries, breeders, and sometimes in certain breeds and generally in young cats, kittens and adults up to 1 or 2 years (generally).  The chances of your other cat catching it are low, probably very low, but not zero.  But if you test him for corona and he's negative then he probably can't catch it, if he tests positive the good news is he still probably won't get it.  Beyond that there isn't much to do except to watch for signs of illness and hope for the best.

I wouldn't worry about getting another cat in time, particularly if your resident cat shows no symptoms for at least a few months. But no one can give you complete guarantees.  A good article is here: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_information/brochure_ftp.cfm

I don't have advice, but just want to say that I'm so sorry for your loss!!

Thank you for your replies!  I'm still in a bit of shock.  He seemed so healthy, until he wasn't.  We went from thinking he had a simple eye injury (his left eye developed a "bruise" like spot) to possibly stomatitis to discovering he had FIP to euthanizing him in less than 2 weeks.  The last part happened in 24 hours.  Had we been a single cat household, we might have been able to spend a bit more time with him to really say goodbye, but because we have another cat, we were advised to leave Blaze at the vet overnight while we waited on his blood work.  We had a few minutes with him before he was put to sleep.  My kids are still heartbroken, but also REALLY missing having another cat in the house. 

I've talked to my family and I think we should wait at least 3 months.  For me, it feels wrong to run out and get another cat.  We are all big cat lovers and could easily find a new cat, but I don't want it to feel like we're replacing Blaze.  Even though he was only with us for a few months, he was a special part of our family.  Of course, realistically, I don't see us being happy without another kitty soon.  Three months seems like a reasonable wait time. 

Thank you again for your help!!!

mamamia said:

 
Thank you for your replies!  I'm still in a bit of shock.  He seemed so healthy, until he wasn't.  We went from thinking he had a simple eye injury (his left eye developed a "bruise" like spot) to possibly stomatitis to discovering he had FIP to euthanizing him in less than 2 weeks.  The last part happened in 24 hours.  Had we been a single cat household, we might have been able to spend a bit more time with him to really say goodbye, but because we have another cat, we were advised to leave Blaze at the vet overnight while we waited on his blood work.  We had a few minutes with him before he was put to sleep.  My kids are still heartbroken, but also REALLY missing having another cat in the house. 

I've talked to my family and I think we should wait at least 3 months.  For me, it feels wrong to run out and get another cat.  We are all big cat lovers and could easily find a new cat, but I don't want it to feel like we're replacing Blaze.  Even though he was only with us for a few months, he was a special part of our family.  Of course, realistically, I don't see us being happy without another kitty soon.  Three months seems like a reasonable wait time. 

Thank you again for your help!!!

Click to expand...

AGreed, 3 months seems very reasonable, let's you grieve and open your hearts for a new friend.  I strongly suggest you don't get another cat where the FIP kitten came from.