as others have said, there IS no test for FIP itself; just for the corona virus, which most humans AND cats will test positive for exposure to.



the current state of belief is that FIP is a MUTATED form of the common corona virus--they do not know what causes the mutation, tho stress has been implicated; most recently, a genetic predisposition is being investigated.



in other words, it can't be predicted, prevented or treated. if mom had the predisposition to the gene's mutating (if that's even a valid theory), then it would certainly be possible that she could have passed on that predisposition to her kittens.



with no accurate test, no real data on what triggers the mutation--any cat ever exposed to one of the corona viruses could develop FIP.



as FIP is a mutation, it is not contagious per se. i seriously question even the discussion of euthanizing the kittens--because they MIGHT get sick at some point? by that criteria, we're all in trouble.



kittens do not have well-developed immune systems and are always amongst the most vulnerable feline populations; elderly and otherwise-compromised cats are also at high risk of any illness. with FIP, however, all you can do it try to keep them from being exposed to a corona virus in the first place. it sounds as if the circumstances these kittens found themselves in--unvetted, unvaccinated, exposed to many cats and

questionable environments--could easily have put their fragile immune systems into jeopardy. even so, there is STILL no way to predict that other kittens in that same situation will develop FIP...



FIP is an awful condition, but not one that worrying about helps--we just don't know enough yet to know who will develop it or how to protect our cats from it. i know there is an FIP vaccine, but since i've seen no evidence that they really know what's really going on with it i'm not sure how it can be that effective.



wish i had more info to give you; here's a link to one site that might be able to answer questions.
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PHCatByte

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