2 Responses for "High possibility of FIP.. (Feline Infectious Peritonitis)?"

1. taylor lautner March 14th, 2010 at 9:20 am 1

   Best Answer – Chosen by Voters I'm so very sorry for what you are going through. I can completely relate.My cat died in April of 2009. I had had him for 10 years. He was my baby. I was absolutely devastated. I went through a battle with his illness. My vet initially diagnosed him as having FIP which terrified me. He fit the symptoms although I didn't understand how he could have gotten it. After going through a lot of testing it turns out he didn't have FIP after all. Just as I started to feel relieved, I got the real diagnosis: cancer. His tumor in his chest was so large that his entire x-ray was black. He only lived a few more days, and before we could put him to sleep he died of a pulmonary embolism. I know how much it hurts to watch your baby suffer. My cat suffered so much. He was unable to lay down comfortably and would always be hunched forward on his paws. He couldn't eat or drink and he vomited a lot. He was given an IV at the vet and managed to eat and take some medication one day but started vomiting again shortly afterward. On to FIP….cats usually develop FIP after exposure to FIPV, which is the virus that causes it. Cats usually become infected with the virus after inhalation or ingestion of the virus and is most common in areas in which a large group of cats are housed together (i.e. shelter or rescue agency). Has your cat been exposed to other cats recently? Is your cat an outdoor cat? If not, I doubt he has FIP. There are two types of FIP: effusive (wet) and non-effusive (dry). Unfortunately, FIP is always fatal. Effusive progresses faster and is more common. Non-effusive does not progress as fast and cats with non-effusive FIP can live a longer and slightly more comfortable live than a cat with effusive FIP. I know a woman whose cat had non-effusive FIP and lived for several more years. I was also given an antibiotic to give to my cat. He vomited it up and I didn't give it to him anymore. The more he vomited the more dehydrated he would be and I knew it wasn't going to do any good anyway since he couldn't keep it down. Your cat's stomach is probably very upset since he has been unable to eat and has gotten sick so much. An antibiotic is difficult on even a healthy stomach. Heck, if I took an antibiotic on an empty stomach I would be horribly sick. I would ask your vet if it is really necessary to give him the antibiotic at this point. The last thing you cat needs is something else to make him sick. Make sure he gets on IV fluids ASAP. It doesn't take long for dehydration to start. I don't know why your vet didn't already hospitalize your cat. Mine did right away. I brought him home for a few days and then sent him right back to be put on fluids again and have more testing done.I know how hard it is when you feel like your cat is about to die. It's scary and it hurts. Spend as much time with him as you can, but don't think about how much time you have left. Just enjoy the time you have now. Hold him and comfort him. That will be the best thing you can do for him. The few days I had my cat at home before he went back to the vet and passed away, I held him a lot. He would just lay up against me. I think I was able to give him comfort in his last few days. If you need to talk, feel free to e-mail me. I would be more than happy to listen. I know exactly how you feel. It still hurts me so much. You and your little kitty will be in my thoughts. Take care.

2. justin bieber March 14th, 2010 at 9:20 am 2

   I have not had to deal with this disease with any of my cats. However, my advice to you would to push aside the feeling of "waiting for death" and enjoy what time you have with him. Give him lots of love and let him know you care for him. Tell him these things, cats can understand the emotion behind your words. And, if it is the worst case senerio and he has FIP just give him all the love you have until it's time to give him peace from the pain. Be there with him through it so he's not alone. It will be hard on you, but he'll know he's loved and you're trying your best to do what's in his best interest.Best of luck, and fingers crossed that your kitty is just sick with something not so bad.