Just Empty - FIP loss

Hey y'all. So four days ago I had to make the heartbreaking decision to put my two year old cat to sleep... it was unexpected for me because he was so young and lively up until two weeks ago, and I only had him for a little over a month. He was very lively and loving and energetic, then he stopped eating and had a dangerously high fever. Antibiotics didn't respond to it, he wouldn't let me force feed him the amount he needed... basically the vets weren't sure what it was and tried various antibiotics and kept him for several days at a time to try to help. No luck, and then the last I brought him to the vet his liver was surrounded by fluid... vet told me it was FIP and that there was nothing they could do but try to prolong it, but since he already wasn't eating and hardly moving he was in bad shape and wasn't himself anymore. 

It was a rough decision for me because it happened so quickly. I've had multiple cats throughout my life but I just recently moved out on my own as a college student and this was the first cat I adopted and took sole responsibility of. I spoiled him and we had a really close bond and he kept my apartment from feeling lonely. He was my boy. I've never had experience with FIP before and didn't know what it was until now, and I'm heartbroken. I had been led up to that point by the vets to believe it was some sort of allergy, so it was really sudden to go from expecting allergy treatment as the next step to being told hours later that his liver was failing and that it was an incurable disease. I don't blame them for not knowing; my vets were wonderful and I know they did all they could to help him and even cried with me when we had to put him down, but I'm naturally devastated and I have mixed emotions about everything now that he's gone.

For one, now I'm afraid to get a new pet or cat because I feel irrationally like its my fault somehow. I guess that's the grief talking, because I can't really name one thing that I did that I could even blame myself for- he was very spoiled and well-loved and I spent beyond what I could afford on vet visits the moment he started feeling ill (my pet insurance coverage hadn't kicked in yet, figures). Yet I feel horribly guilty, mainly because he seemed fine when i adopted him and then in a series of several weeks went from happy to fatally ill. It doesn't really bode well that the first pet you take care of ends up that way and it was beyond heartbreaking to watch and handle, especially for someone like me who is very close to her pets. 

Now I'm just super sad about my apartment in general now that he is gone. I know that he was suffering and it that it can't be helped, but my apartment feels really empty and quiet now and I see the spots he used to sit in and its just and awful reminder. To make matters worse, since he had FIP my vet told me to throw away all of his toys and things, so I feel worse about the fact that now its like I'm getting rid of every sign of him. 

I thought about adopting another cat or two kittens when I'm ready because I don't like how quiet this place has been, and there hasn't been a time when I haven't had a cat as a child, though I never had to experience one pass before. I'm not trying to replace him (don't think that is possible anyway, he was such a quirky guy!), but I know from past experience that having cats or a cat has always made me happier and less stressed no matter their personality or flaws. But, the vet told me I have to wait at least two-three months before getting one and to deep clean my entire apartment to prevent a new cat from catching it. I really don't know what I'm going to do until then, it seems like a long time.

I'm also afraid that any new cat or kitten I might get will have FIP as well, and wary of the shelter I adopted them from. I'm not sure how common FIP is in cats, but I do know that previous to this I have adopted other cats from this same shelter and have had no problems. I guess I'm just scared of becoming close to a pet and have to lose it so soon just like I did with him... It really doesn't make too much sense considering there isn't any avoidance to it: no matter where you get the cat from there's always that chance that it might have come in contact with FIP, I suppose.

So emotional-vent story over, I'd really like some advice and especially from people who have dealt with FIP before (or who have lost pets). I tried researching the disease itself but every site seems to contradict itself and my vet didn't really help.. when I asked her over the phone if it was contagious she literally said "well let me google it and come back to you" ? So.. yeah. Support, advice, tips for cleaning an apartment out after a cat has had FIP... anything is welcome. I appreciate any of you for reading this at all and anyone has experienced a similar or recent loss of a pet, know that I feel for you personally.

 First let me say I am so very sorry for your loss, you did what you had to do to stop a future full of pain and suffering.

The virus is mainly spread through the feces, so definitely get rid of litter boxes and clean every surface with a good disinfectant. The virus does not survive for months, like distemper, so the chances are good if you clean well and wait a few weeks you should be fine. The chances of you getting another cat with the virus would be reduced if they came from a  place that did not have a large population of cats.  I don't blame you for wanting to fill your apartment with life again, it is a welcome distraction and helps you to not dwell on your sadness. two kittens would be wonderful as they would have each other for playmates when you are gone.  You don't have to get rid of every sign of your boy, keep some things that meant a lot to you and will help you remember him. Just soak them in disinfectant and seal them in plastic bags when they dry. If you have already gotten rid of everything, let your memories comfort you, those can never be destroyed. 

You were there for your little one, he needed you to be with him at the end, I'm so glad he found you to be strong for him when he needed it. For some reason he was meant to be in your life, even if for such a short time.

I wish you well in the future. I hope you can use this time to clean all surfaces with a disinfectant and spray disinfectant on the soft surfaces like couches, beds etc. You can look forward and prepare for your new companion (s) and I wish you well, please feel free to post any time you want! I know there will be some better answers from those more knowledgeable than me, good luck!

RIP little one, please let the memories of you comfort the one who loves and misses you, may your journey to the Rainbow Bridge be swift and your star shine bright in the heavens. You will be forever held in a loving heart! 

Oh no, I'm so sorry.  It sounds like he had wet FIP which devastates their bodies.  Your final act of love was to spare him a horrible death but in doing that you broke your own heart.  It's so hard.

We had it too, in a very friendly stray who we fed all summer with no sign he was gaining much needed weight so we live trapped, Vetted and had him neutered.  Two days later the bloodwork came back, FIP, and he was beginning to show the signs.  We had him euthanized less than a week after trapping him.  Fortunately we had kept him in the garage but he'd been socializing with our own three cats outside in our yard all summer so then we worried about them.  OUrs were fine and lived their lives out to good old ages of 19, 21 and the one remaining is now 18.  Our Vet was very sad too, saying FIP was very rare in the free ranging stray/feral population and he reimbursed the neuter fee.  Murphy was obviously once a pet, anyone could pet and cuddle him, he was a hit at the Vet's and with several neighbours around us.   My husband is still upset about our (well mine really, I make the hard decisions here) euthanizing him, saying he was fine and we basically murdered Murphy.  He may have a point.  Murphy was likely already sick, as evidenced by his failure to put on weight despite our putting out lots of good food, but the stress of trapping, Vetting and neuter may have tipped the scales into full blown FIP.  It was awful, you get these cats, pick them up in your arms and cuddle them, they purr and look you in the eye and you're instantly in love with them.  It's awful, I'm so sorry for your poor broken heart.

First let me say, don't ever be afraid to open your heart and home to another life.  There are too many to pass up who are in need of your love and kindness.

You did nothing wrong.  Sometimes life has a way to blindside us for reasons unknown.  

I lost  my precious boy Simon (my avatar) in June.  I found him at 2 weeks old trying desperately trying to cross the road, he was probably dropped by his mother, due to cars and busy intersection.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to adopt another after his death, but it hurts more thinking that there is a kitty in a shelter, on the street etc. that won't have a loving home, and a possible future of facing death for no reason at all.

With that said, I had to realize that Simon was MY SPECIAL ONE, and no one will communicate with me as he did (he thought he was human).  But that doesn't mean I can't bond with another and love them just as much.  Like you said, no one can ever replace our Special Ones, but it's important to keep the love alive.

My home became quiet after Simon's passing,  he'd beg my hubby and I to play monkey in the middle, or laser light in the tub.  He was my shadow and took an interest in all I did.  My sweet girl Chestnut only wants to eat and be loved. LOL  Simon's passing most definitely changed the dynamic of the house.  It's quite boring without him, honestly.  And I can't wait to adopt another.  We just have to make sure Chess is okay with it, because she's an eater and on a special diet.

Sorry to babble about myself, I'm still slightly in denial over his passing.  You made me think of him with your post.  I can relate in so many ways.

I am so very sorry you lost your sweet boy, and now having to get rid of his things is truly heartbreaking.  I honestly know how you feel, as do many members on here who have lost The One Love...  

Please feel free to PM me if you need to chat.

Warmest regards - Hope & my gal Chestnut

PS - Do you have any pictures you can post.  We would love to see your angel.

Thank you all for your support. I'm gonna miss him. I feel like I'm progressing and I'm starting to greatly look forward to when I can take home the newest additions.

Hm, so a month is all it really takes? That'll be good to know, though I'm going to go a little deep clean crazy just to be sure. I always worry about kittens and especially since they have such fragile immune systems. I think I've thrown just about everything of his out and just contemplating on whether to keep his tree and use a spray cleaner for fabrics or to just get a new one entirely. Definitely going to get the carpets cleaned and all that, and new litterboxes and beds and the like. My shelter was nice enough to offer me a discount on my next adoption there. They really liked Foreman too, and told me that they were glad he had a loving home for his last months. He was such a likeable cat.

These are pictures of him. It hurts me right now to look at them and how normal and bright he was before the sickness just up and hit him unexpectedly.

I'm so sorry for your loss of Foreman.  What a handsome boy.  Bless you for giving him the wonderful life he deserved and for opening your heart to kittens.  Whoever you choose will be very lucky to have you.  

I'm so sorry you lost your beautiful friend. Things do change when they are gone and you cannot help but miss their little hearts and personalities and their love. 

My kitty Etta and my kitty Charlie passed this summer. With Etta she had abdominal fluid and FIP was a consideration but that ultimately wasn't the diagnosis. But I did learn a lot about it in the process. My vet said that it is a mutated corona-virus. The virus is fairly common with cats and usually is the thing going on when they get the sniffles and sneezes. It's basically a cat cold. For unknown reasons it can mutate in some cats and turn into FIP. The FIP condition itself can exist with one cat in a multi-cat household and not transmit to another cat at all. It could even be from a virus your cat had a long time ago that resolved on its own but eventually turned into FIP. 

It's completely random and there isn't anything that you did or didn't do that would have resulted in a different outcome.

Wow, such a sad story.  Foreman looks like he had a great life.  It also sounds like you did everything you could and the odds were just against you guys.  I learned a lot from your thread, so thank you for sharing your story.  You obviously have a lot of love to give so when you have the disinfecting done and feel ready, there is another cat or two that are waiting to bring some life and love back into your home.  

Foreman is lovely.  I'm glad you have photos of him.  Murphy was with us for such a short time we have none.  Murphy was a red tabby, very striking looking. 

Just to further reassure you, a friend took in a stray, later found his home and a few days later still found the stray was FIP positive though the disease was not active yet.  Friend was in a panic, the FIP positive stray had been in his house with his own two cats for nearly a week.  The Vets reassured him that everybody was most likely to be just fine and they were.   His own two cats did not test positive for FIP and as far as I know the stray, the one who did test positive is also fine.

Another reassurance, we found a very young kitten, about 6 weeks old, took it in, found it a home with a friend.  At six months old when the friend took Willie in to be neutered he tested positive for FIP and our friend was advised to put him down.  Fortunately this friend called me and another person in our group and we convinced him the reason FIP is sometimes likened to Aids in cats is that the cat can have FIP in his system but not be deadly sick.  It's not till some kind of stress causes the FIP or Aids to become full blown that it becomes deadly to the carrier.  Meanwhile though, the carrier is able to pass it on to another cat or person so Willie was not allowed to be an outside cat, which, being a city cat, he wasn't going to be anyway.  We also advised our friend to find another Vet, one who was more knowledgeable about FIP since Willie was going to live his life with it.  Willie is 11 years old now.

-double post oops-

Thanks you guys. I've been trying to research FIP but it seems like the conclusion I've reached is that there isn't that much known about it yet: so much conflicting information. I found this artcle, and it seems somewhat reliable. It also confirms that a month is often recommended before adding a new cat, even though the virus is less likely to be spread after a week or so. http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pe...imal-health/feline-infectious-peritonitis/104

If that's the case, then a month would be plenty of time for it to go, and I can feel more at ease about bringing home two kittens during the end of October. I'm already planning to make some pet-related purchases to prepare so that I'm all set to bring them home in a month. 

He was such a lovely cat and I am so sorry.  

The reason you are finding contradictory info and very little concrete info is because the how and why is not understood.  The what is understood but that is about it.  It's a disease that only affects cats including  all of the  cats in the wild.  Just know that it had nothing to do with anything that you  did or failed to do.

I am so very sorry for your loss. But I am grateful Foreman was able to spend the last two months of his life with you. My heart breaks for those cats and kittens who have no one to care for them, and suffer greatly fending for themselves. Any loss is difficult, but the first one is especially so because you don't know what to expect. I have euthanized many animals because they were seniors and/or had serious health issues. I knew no one would adopt them, and I didn't want them to die on the streets or in a shelter. It is never easy saying good-bye to a beloved fur baby, whether you had him for two months or 20 years.

Foreman thanks you for giving him a home, and for letting him go when the time came. He is healthy and happy now, and always will be.

I found a website called vetstreet.com, plus one from the Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine, and they discuss vaccines that prevent FIP and FIV. Vaccinations are very important. The cost of them is far less than the thousands of dollars to treat preventable diseases. I adopted a German Shepherd mix over 30 years ago who showed symptoms of distemper a week after I got him. He was euthanized, and my vet buried him on his property in the mountains because he didn't want my other dogs exposed to the disease. I had to thoroughly disinfect my house with a solution of bleach and water. Bleach kills the FIP virus, so please use that, diluted with water, to disinfect your home. Foreman had already been exposed to the virus, so the vaccine would not have helped him.

Please do not blame the shelter or rescue for Foreman's condition. The animals they take in often come from the streets, or from homes where they weren't taken care of. Those with good homes are a lot less likely to be dumped at shelters or relinquished to rescues.

When you are ready, Foreman will send you another needy kitty. And remember that he did not die -- his body did. He is very much alive in a dimension called heaven, and one day, you will see him again.

Foreman was such a beautiful boy, I am sorry you lost him. FIP is an awful illness

On a related note, do you guys know what cleaning products are safe to use? I don't want to use something that is potentially harmful to the kittens! At the same time, I need to kill the virus germs so that they can't catch them. 

So I adopted two new additions to my home: six month old Flora and Fauna. They are sisters and I didn't have the heart to see them separated by adoption. When I walked in to see the kitten room they were both cuddled up together. Welcoming them home has been great: Fauna is the jumpy but lovey big sis while Flora is super cuddly and rowdy-playful- always causing mischief and sitting on me. I'm glad I was able to readopt so soon because I couldn't take the emptiness of the place. I don't think I fully coped with the loss of Foreman until I was able to meet and bond with these two gals.

They are beautiful, it was so kind of you to adopt the both of them 

I had to reply as I also recently lost my, not even six month old kitten to FIP. I'm very sorry you're also going through this. I've felt the same way, like I did something wrong but, at the same time, I know that I didn't. Neither did you. We did everything we could to help sick little fur babies and we loved them while they were here. They know that.

Second, my vet has had a lot of experience with FIP. He told me to replace the litter boxes and scoops or to clean them with dish soap and then let them soak in a strong mixture of bleach and water. Then to rinse them in super hot water. He said to steam clean the carpet around the litter boxes, vacuum everywhere really good, wash anything that can be washed in super hot water two times. He said steam clean the wood floors, he didn't say we had to steam clean ALL the carpet but I'm going to. He said all of our cat toys and bowls need to be washed with dish soap and then soaked in a 1:32 dillution of bleach and water, then rinsed thoroughly in hot water. Any toys that can't be safely cleaned (ones that contain catnip or batteries, throw away. Hard surfaces should be wiped down with clorox cleaning wipes and to change all bedding, rugs, etc.. out with clean ones & again wash the dirty ones in hot water twice.

I asked him about our couches because they can't be bleached or steamed, they're bright red! He assured me that as long as we clean everything that we can, focusing on cat related items and our floors, that the remaining virus will die off after 7 weeks. He also said to wait at least that long after cleaning everything to adopt another cat. He added that we need to keep our other cat boxes, for our two remaining cats, who have shown no symptoms of getting it, very tidy, scooped and clean. I hope that helps.