“Gun-Hee is the most beautiful, perfect thing I’ve seen in my life.
He’s a shooting star, to be cherished, every moment, for perfection is fleeting.”
“Gun-Hee is the most beautiful, perfect thing I’ve seen in my life.
He’s a shooting star, to be cherished, every moment, for perfection is fleeting.”
The Daily Abyssinian...and Singapura 
from what i scanned through that FIP link, it seems that FIP can be passed on to other cats. I know it’s hard to think about right now, but it may be necessary to take the other cats into the vet to get tested. Maybe set up a seperate litter box for gun-hee to use (just in case)
again, i’m so sorry, I really hope gun-hee pulls through and becomes part of that 5%
LikeLike
This isn’t exactly accurate. FIP is also not an illness that can be accurately tested for. They can run a test that looks for exposure to a corona virus in the cat, but nothing FIP specific. There are a ton of corona viruses out there so if a cat tests positive, there’s no way to know if that is FIP.
It’s a weird virus in that what is passed TO a cat is not contagious, it is what the cat’s body does with the virus. Most of the time this is not an issue and the other cats don’t get sick. Our vets kind of describe it like this: The cats are kind of pre-disposed to actually mutating the virus and coming down with FIP. So while there is always a small risk that maybe he could infect her other cats, it isn’t that likely. It’s a frustrating and devastating illness because of how much vets are still learning about it.
This is fresh on my mind because I work with a number of vets in shelter medicine and FIP is something we always have to worry about. (Any situation involving many many cats housed close together like a shelter or cattery)
Regardless, Poor poor Gun-hee. This breaks my heart.
LikeLike
Yes.
I just made a new post with great links. The best line I’ve read is this: …the roulette-like nature of FIP makes it almost impossible to determine which cats will actually develop it.
“FIP is nobody’s fault – it’s not the fault of a breeder, or a cattery, or a shelter, or a rescue group,” she reminds. “If anything, it’s the fault of the cat’s immune system, which makes the wrong decision.”
Although I am wondering if there’s a link between the fact that he had the Feline Herpes Virus (which the others are immune to) and that he mutated the Corona Virus into FIP…
LikeLike
That quote is a perfect description of the virus.
I don’t think so about the Herpes Virus. We see it SO much in cats at the shelter and I have only seen FIP (either at the shelter or reports later after the cat was adopted) a handful of times. So in that regard, I don’t think there’s any connection at all. Not to say at all that it’s just his awful bad luck because I don’t mean it that way.
Let me know if you have any other specific questions and I can pass them on to our best shelter vet. She has been working with the top shelter medicine vets in the country and FIP is a topic that comes up often.
You guys are both in my thoughts and my heart is breaking for you. Please please let me know if there’s anything I can do.
LikeLike
I will. I’ll also let you know what happens at Angell. It’s pretty famous; I’ve been lucky to live most of my life within reach of incredible veterinary care (I grew up in Davis, CA).
I just never really needed it so much before.
LikeLike
I am really glad that you have it now that you do need it though. 😦
LikeLike
Thanks for the info! I read up on it when a friend of mine’s foster kitten got FIP. It seems that 90% (is that accurate?) of adult cats who get the virus shed it; the other 10% contact FIP. FIP is most likely to be spread to kittens and older cats… right? Does the RCP vaccination help a cat not get FIP… is FIP and Panluekepenia the same thing? (Sorry for all the questions haha)
FIP is pretty rare, from all the foster cases I’ve had myself and have seen in the past 3 years, I’ve only seen one FIP, one kitten who was healthy when adopted out then died 7 months later with FIP, and about 10 FIVs. But I’ve had over 100 fosters go through here with 4 cats of my own so I’m always worried they’ll get something. So far nothing, though, and though I do try to separate kittens in the bathroom for at least 2 weeks I’ve had tons of coccidia, URI, and a ringworm come through that none of my adults have gotten.
And sorry to hijack your thread, gun hee!
LikeLike
Oh, no worries : ) This has just been on my mind a lot lately because I work in a cat shelter and stuff like that is always a worry for us. FIP is a really weird virus. Like Coco said, it isn’t so much who “gets” it because almost all cats are exposed to the corona virus but how the cat’s immune system deals with it. Vets seem to think that there is a pre-disposition to mutating the virus into FIP. There is no 1005 accurate test for FIP. They mainly go by symptoms (like she said in Gun Hee’s case, they drew straw yellow fluid from his belly which is a very bad sign.
You are most likely to see FIP in cats that are up to 1 year old or so. Often times it happens later after the cat is adopted because stress triggers the dormant virus in the cat. Sometimes being spayed/neutered is enough stress on the cat’s immune system to trigger it. Sometimes just the stress of a new household. So that is why you see perfectly healthy cats adopt out and then suddenly come down with FIP. It’s frustrating and very sad 😦
The RCP vaccination is the main standard vaccine and it covers rhinotracheitis(feline herpes), Calicivirus (which is a bad cold basically with high fever and sometimes ulcers on in the mouth and on the nose/lips), and finally Panleukopenia.
Panleuk is also caused by a parvo virus but it is not the same as FIP and there are actually a couple of tests you can do on a cat that can diagnose Panleuk. It basically decreases the cat’s white blood cell count and can also damage the lining of the intestines/stomach. We see it often in the little kittens. Although this year at the shelter, we have seen it break out in a few vaccinated adults. So, I think that there are some strains going around that are stronger than previously.
You’re right, young kittens and older cats may have a higher instance of FIP because they both have compromised immune systems. The weaker the immune system the more likely for the mutation to occur. There is a FIP vaccine but it is highly controversial and they don’t have a lot of research behind it.
It sounds like you are doing everything right with your fosters. Your adult cats are less likely to catch pretty much anything from your fosters if they are healthy, up to date on vaccinations, and not overcrowded, which it sounds like they are not. So that’s probably why they’ve been OK through all the URI etc coming through your house.
Biggest difference to me between FIP and Panleuk is that FIP has pretty much a 100% mortality rate while Panleuk’s is lower as long as it is caught in time and plenty of supportive care is given.
I really wish there was more funding for research on stuff like FIP. It’s devastating and it sucks that we know so little about it that there isn’t much we can do.
LikeLike
Thanks a lot for all the info, love the icon by the way!
I wonder why gun hee got it almost at age 2? Could he have had it for a while and the symptoms are just now showing?
The one who got it after we adopted out never gained much weight and died at 7 months old at only 2 pounds 😦 She had a good life while she was here, though. Though I don’t think any cat has had a good of a life as gun hee! ^ ^
LikeLike
Gun Hee is still pretty young and we’ve seen some cats his age develop FIP. It’s also possible that he was recently exposed to a coronavirus and that caused the reaction. But like Coco said, the Abyssinian breed also has a slightly higher likelihood of developing the virus. Poor kitty of yours 😦 I’m glad she had a good live while she was with you.
I agree, I can’t think of a better family for Gun Hee to have. He’s a very very lucky boy.
LikeLike
Oh, I wasn’t clear – the FIP kitty wasn’t mine but was one from my humane society who I helped adopt out. They actually didn’t know it was FIP until they did an autopsy. You’re right, I wish they’d put more funding/research into this shitty disease.
So when I foster kittens here, do you think there’s much I can do to protect my cats from FIP besides have them in separate rooms? My personal cats are aged 10 years, 2 years, 1 year and 10 months so while I feel pretty good that they’d shed the coronavirus I want to do everything I can to protect them.
How common is the coronavirus itself, do you know? I bet it’s been around here… I wonder why abys are more likely to have the virus mutate into FIP?
(I’m going to bed now but I thank you again for all the info ^ ^)
LikeLike
The main form of transmitting a coronavirus from one cat to the other is the litter box. It is mainly shed in the feces of the cat and transmitted to the new cat through the nose and mouth. But remember that the coronavirus is extremely common in houses where there are many cats. But out of all house cats only about 5% actually ever develop FIP. Keep the litter boxes clean, and try to limit the number of new cats all sharing the same box. Odds are none of your cats will ever develop FIP so you are probably doing fine 🙂 I’d be more concerned about the more common dangers in fosters like URI, Ringworm, FeLV, stuff like that. So keeping foster kittens separate from your house cats is smart for a lot of reasons, but yes, it will probably cut down on the transmittal of coronavirus if they are not sharing litter boxes with your home kitties 🙂
LikeLike
Oh I’ve had plenty of URI and coccidia, one case of ringworm, (none of those were spread to my adults) but luckily no FeLV or FIV yet.
Thanks for your informal posts and if I ever have another question I’m going to come find you! 😉
LikeLike
I think this is my favorite photo of him. His face looks so devilish and sly, in a cute way.
LikeLike