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Does your vet recommend vaccinating against this for an indoor cat? Mine did and I am confused and I have no idea what this is...does anyone have any idea?
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fip.htmlThere is only one licensed FIP vaccine available; however, this vaccine has minimal if any effectiveness in preventing FIP, and it is not generally recommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners Feline Vaccine Advisory Panel.
I've had one cat in all my years that had the wet form of FIP. His virus mutated to FIP when I moved him from Texas to Missouri and he was stressed by the move. He died within 2 weeks of the move. In talking to vets at the time and subsequently, they seem to be in agreement that some cats are simply genetically predisposed for the mutation to FIP. My Boris lived with 7 cats who all made the same move and none of them contracted FIP, and it was obvious that all of them had been exposed to the Corona Virus. And those cats lived with some of my current older residents, who now live with my younger residents. I know I'm 100% Corona Virus positive in my house with no signs of FIP, even in the older cats.Originally Posted by MissKitties
Basically, a huge majority (80-95% of cats) carry a certain form of the Corona Virus. FIP happens when the Corona Virus mutates. It is still unclear what causes it to mutate, but it is thought that stress is a major factor. It is often seen after surgeries, stressful moves, etc. Low immune systems are also thought to bring it about. A cat can have the Corona Virus for years, only to have it mutate into FIP when they're a senior cat. So, your cat could be carrying the corona virus, but this doesn't mean he/she will get FIP.