The vet sys my kitten has FIP

[lynne180]

Hi all - I wrote a while ago about my little kitten,  Zula.  She is tiny for her age, she's around six months old now.  We got her from a rescue centre and I was concerned because she was just hiding away, sleeping, not playing or doing any of the things kittens do, except eating and going to the litter tray.  We took her to the vet about two weeks ago and they took blood for testing.  Last Monday I got a call from them saying Zula has FIP.  I was devastated.  Since then I'm beginning to wonder if the diagnosis was correct, as she's been so much better.  She's discovered that she can climb the stairs and now she's up and down them like a yoyo!   She seems stronger - whereas she could barely climb up onto the sofa (she only managed it twice)  she now leaps up onto it with no trouble.  She's playing and following me around and rarely hides away now.  her appetite is good and she shouts at me for food.  She still sleeps a lot and she's still underweight, but she's much more confident now.    To be honest, the vet didn't really say much about the illness, when i asked about it, he said that she would always be small, and she would be more prone to infections, and if she does pick any bug up, to get her in for treatment asap.  I asked what we could expect time-wise and he said she could have a reasonable life as long as we're careful with her.  It doesn't sound like FIP, does it?  I asked him if it was the one where the stomach bloats and he said yes, but he didn't mention anything about the differences between wet and dry FIP  (which i didn't know about at the time) and she certainly doesn't have any bloating.  (She's just come out of her bed now and is sharpening her claws on the sofa, lol!)   So to sum up, she's been improving every day for the last ten days or so, no sign of any discomfort - also, when we first got her and her brother, he had cat flu but she didn't catch it, so her immune system must be working ok.  (Her brother recovered well and is now a powerhouse of energy, lol.)   Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

 
It doesn't sound like FIP, does it? 

No, it doesn't.  Have you chosen a new veterinarian yet?

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[abyeb]

Agree with above. FIP cats don't improve like that.

 

[mewcatmew]

This doesn't sound like FIP from what I know. Usually FIP cats have a fever that does not go away. Your kitty sounds like a fairly energetic ball of of fluff. 

 

[winksmom]

My kitty died of FIP and this doesn't sound like it to me either.

 

[laura mae]

No. FIP is 100% fatal and there is no reasonable long life.  And it's super tough to diagnose. A general practice vet can probably offer suspicion towards FIP based on characteristics. In the wet form they look for a stickiness in the fluid and color. But it takes a special diagnostic vet to analyze the results for definite answers. 

The reason I know this is that I had a 13 year old cat (generally too old for FIP) get an expensive ultrasound and special analysis of the fluid by a diagnostic vet center to see what the heck was going on. They look for the presence of certain kinds of cells. The diagnosis for my dear Etta, wasn't definitive of FIP or cancer. She definitely had leaky vessels of some sort, but the characteristic wasn't sticky (highly cellular). 

I don't know the tests for dry forms, but there is never any discussion of a normal lifespan for a kitten with FIP. Kittens and young cats are most likely the population to have a coronavirus to mutate to FIP.

I...actually wonder if the vet screwed up and meant FeLV...but that would be a mighty big mistake.
 

 

[jcat]

To be honest, the vet didn't really say much about the illness, when i asked about it, he said that she would always be small, and she would be more prone to infections, and if she does pick any bug up, to get her in for treatment asap. I asked what we could expect time-wise and he said she could have a reasonable life as long as we're careful with her. It doesn't sound like FIP, does it?

That sounds like he meant to say she was FIV+, meaning her immune system is compromised; that doesn't necessarily mean a cat will develop full-blown "cat AIDS", and it's absolutely no danger to humans. FIP is caused by a mutation of the Corona virus (which many cats test positive for - up to 40% in my area - but most don't develop FIP). Her improved health doesn't sound like FIP.

You need to ask whether she tested negative or positive for FIV, FeLV and Corona virus, then go from there.

 

[lynne180]

Thanks for all your replies, i will follow them all up.  I am considering changing vets, there is one nearer to me anyway so it makes sense.  First I intend to speak to the senior vet at the practice I'm with now and find out exactly what's going on.  Zula's just ate a big breakfast and right now she's chasing a paper ball around the room, lol.   Thanks again for the advice, I'll let you know how it goes 

 

[posiepurrs]

Unless things have changed and I haven't heard about it, the only definitive way to diagnose FIP is through a necropsy after the cats death. There is no blood test for FIP, only a test for the cornoa virus which can mutate into FIP, but that is fairly rare. In my experience a lot of vets will go with a FIP diagnosis when they don't have a clue as to what is really wrong .I have a girl who at the age of about a year the emergency vet suggested had FIP. She will be 14 this June - it turned out it was a reaction to a vaccine. You are  your cats voice - don't be afraid to question if something seems wrong or you don 't understand.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

 
You are  your cat's voice - don't be afraid to question if something seems wrong or you don 't understand.

This is well stated, and should be repeated often on TCS.

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