my kitten is very sick - need advice

Hi, I wrote before about my kitten Nepheline who possibly had an upper respiratory infection. She is 12 weeks old. She has been at the vet for the last 2 days and the vet does not think that is the case anymore. She has a high fever that can be broken with anti-inflammatories but it keeps coming back 24 hours later. She is on an IV and eats small amounts periodically but not very much. My vet thinks that she has a viral infection. I asked her about FIP and she said that that was in the back of her mind. She wants to wait until tomorrow to see how she is doing. What do you think is going on? Should I get her tested for FIP, since the test is so unreliable? I'm so worried and so upset about this. I love her so much and just want her home and healthy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If she does have FIP, what will happen to her? What should I do? Thanks.

wish I could help but I don't know, you and the furry will be in our prayers! HUGS!

Sweetie, it is very hard to wait overnight but your answers will be there tomorrow. Ask your vet for ALL the options and then make the decision that is in your heart. It's scary not knowing, and I will send you lots of hugs and prayers. Please update, ok?

If she has a fever, that is a very good sign - it means her immune system is doing its job. My personal opinion is that if her temperature is 106 or under, she should not be given any medication to lower the fever but should just be supported with IV or SQ fluids and enough syringe feeding to maintain blood sugar. Artificially lowering a fever can often prolong it.

Don't bother having her tested for FIP. A positive test doesn't mean she has FIP and a negative test doesn't 100% mean she doesn't have it so in other words, the test is absolutely useless. It will stress you out if she comes back "positive", but all a positive FIP test means is that she has been exposed to a virus in the same family as the virus that causes FIP. It doesn't even mean she has been exposed to FIP, never mind that she actually has the disease.

Your kitten probably has a transient viral infection of some sort and will be fine in a few days. In the meantime, keep providing her with supportive care.

Hi, The vet just called and said that her fever is down to the "high side of normal" and she ate and had a bowel movement. Yay! So that is great news. She still has an IV. They are going to monitor her and see if her temperature stays down. I visited her yesterday afternoon and she purred the whole time. We were so happy to see each other. Thanks for your help and positive comments. I'll update later.

Laurel

Hi Laurel,

Just wanted to let you know I am sending good wishes for Nepheline to feel better!

Just wanted to update: Nepheline is home now and seems to be fine. They never did find out what was wrong with her. I'm soooo happy to have her home! Though I worry that whatever it is will come back... Does anyone know how long it takes for a relapse if she has FIP? Is there an amount of time after which I can stop worrying about FIP?

Thanks!

In my experience if it was FIP there would be no remission and hence no relapse. She would get sick, and become sicker until she died, slower with the dry form and faster with the wet form, but cats with FIP dont get better.

Glad for you that she is home, and sending some health vibes