Advice, Please...(Regarding FIP)

jenk

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As some of you know, I lost my dear kitten, Savannah, to FIP 6 months ago (as of this Friday).

Last night, looking through PetFinder.com to pass the time, I ran across the description of a female cat and already fell in love. I'm wondering if it would be "safe" to bring her into my home. Here are the facts:

1) My current kitty will turn 2-years-old this August, which is the age at which most vets agree that a cat is considered "safe" from developing FIP.

2) The shelter kitty (actually in foster care) is 9-10 months old and just weaned a litter of kittens. Is it possible that her immune system is weakened from the birth/ weaning processes?

A number of people have said that 6 months is long enough to wait before getting another cat, but I still worry of illness brought into my home and/ or another cat developing FIP after being exposed to my current cat.

Any thoughts on what I could/ should do? Is it technically "safe" to bring in another kitty (even one under 2-years-old)?

Thank you,

Jenk
 

spotz

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If you have cleaned everything well, and have not had any issues withing the last few months, then I wouldn't worry.

Give the kitty a home and keep it clean, you should not have problems.

FIP is a nasty thing, but life must go on. You've done what you can, and that's all there is to do.

I personally think you will be fine, and have nothing to worry about.

Spotz
 

newtocats

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From what I understand, your 2 year old cat can be a carrier for the disease. At least that is what my vet told me when I was looking for another cat. I was in your situation exactly. I lost a 7 month old kitten to FIP and I had a 2 1/2 year old cat with her. I was advised to adopt an adult cat as long as I still had the 2 1/2 year old one since he was exposed to her.


This is just what my vet told me.


Take care
 

sol

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The FIP-virus can't survive outside the cat for longer than 7 weeks so it should be safe now. Your resident cat can however carry the virus so when/if you bring back a new cat make sure it's healthy. A healthy adult is in the "low-risk zone" for developing FIP, but a healthy cat that's 9-10 months should be quite safe to bring home. If the new cat has a weakened immune system, don't bring her home.
 
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jenk

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Originally Posted by Sol

If the new cat has a weakened immune system, don't bring her home.
How does one find out if a potential kitty companion has a weakened immune system? I mean, in order to take her to the vet, I'd have to pay money for her. And once I have her, I'd have to bring her home after the vet visit.

She did just recently wean her kittens; I'm not sure if that (or giving birth) weakens a cat's immune system or not.

It's true that my 21-month-old cat could be a carrier. No test can ever really prove one way or the other, which is the hard part.
 

lorie d.

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Jenk, is the cat you're interested in living in a shelter? If she is, maybe you could contact that shelter and let them know about your interest in that particular cat, and your reason for being concerned about bringing her into your home. Hopefully, the shelter can give you some helpful information and answer questions about the cat's general health and immunity.
 

sol

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Originally Posted by Jenk

How does one find out if a potential kitty companion has a weakened immune system? I mean, in order to take her to the vet, I'd have to pay money for her. And once I have her, I'd have to bring her home after the vet visit.

She did just recently wean her kittens; I'm not sure if that (or giving birth) weakens a cat's immune system or not.

It's true that my 21-month-old cat could be a carrier. No test can ever really prove one way or the other, which is the hard part.
If the cat is healthy and she's been healthy most of her life there's no real reason to belive her immune system is weak. But if she's recently had an infection or such you might wanna be careful. I do not think that her weaning the kittens affects the immune system.

And of course, all the regular shots for distemper and cat flu needs to be up to date. You could buy her and have her vaccinated against FIP. Of what I've read and heard the vaccine isn't very effective, but a little bit protection is better than none IF there's a risk for contamination.
 

momofmany

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Shelter cats are almost always under some level of stress. That being said, I lost an 18 month old to FIP about 12 years ago. I had 7 cats at the time and all were suspected carriers, the last one being Bogart who crossed in March. I have brought in more cats & kittens of various health states over the last 12 years and have come to believe (under advise from my vet), that a cat is either going to get it or not. Most cats will show positive FIP teters, yet most don't develop the disease, regardless of that exposure. My vet's theory (which I have heard from other vet's and shelter workers) is that some cats simply have a genetic predisposition to developing clinical signs of the disease and others do not. It's a gamble with very low odds against her contracting the disease.
 

sol

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

Shelter cats are almost always under some level of stress. That being said, I lost an 18 month old to FIP about 12 years ago. I had 7 cats at the time and all were suspected carriers, the last one being Bogart who crossed in March. I have brought in more cats & kittens of various health states over the last 12 years and have come to believe (under advise from my vet), that a cat is either going to get it or not. Most cats will show positive FIP teters, yet most don't develop the disease, regardless of that exposure. My vet's theory (which I have heard from other vet's and shelter workers) is that some cats simply have a genetic predisposition to developing clinical signs of the disease and others do not. It's a gamble with very low odds against her contracting the disease.
You're absolutely right. Only about 5-10% of the cats contaminated develop the disease, but if we can prevent disease of course we should do our best. And making sure that the new cat is healthy is one way. A healthy cat has better odds "battling" a virus succesfull than one with a weakened immune system.

And I do know that some scientists believe it could be genetical, but until we know that for sure we have to act as if any cat can get the disease.
 
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