Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi

I noticed that one of the posters back in Feb got a kitten from the same breeder that is local to me. She previously had a kitten that died after 6 months of FIP. She was under the name of Cailin.. What is FIP? I guess its not one of the vaccinations that kittens get inoculated for? I didnt see any more posts of her after the winter of 07.. I didnt even think of something like that happening (mortal illness in a 6 month old) the breeder did say there was a 1 year guarantee but that would be hard to deal with a pet dying like that...

better than putting in into my own words, here's a site explaining it.http://www.marvistavet.com/html/fip.html and http://home.earthlink.net/~sarsenstone/fip.html

a friend of mine went through this 2 years ago. it was indeed very heartbreaking, but she gave her kitten a good life for as long as she could.

I also had a kitten die from it...it is the most frustration cat disease out there...

Basically, every cat is born with a certain gene...the gene mutates when exposed to the coronavirus causing the disease to ignite...it attacks random organs...it disguises itself as other illnesses...so you spend months treating the superficial illnesses when the reality is the disease is slowly killing the cat...it is 100% fatal...and completely random...kittens are more susceptible, especially if they have a compromised immune system...

Catteries will claim to be FIP free...but the reality is any breeder who shows their cats can bring it back to their cattery...an adult cat with a strong immune system will not get the virus...but if exposed at a show to another cat who has been exposed he/she can bring it back to the cattery unknowingly and then expose all the cats in that cattery...exposed mother with no symptoms cats can also pass it along to their unborn...(some breeders quarantine their show cats for a period of time after a show as a precaution.)

My Aston (picture below) was doomed from the get go because he was born underweight...somewhere along the line he was exposed, and what we thought was a simple cold was the beginning of three months of vet visits and antibiotics...Aston's littermate also born underweight is still alive and well, Bentley who took care this poor kitten until the bitter end, sleeping with him, grooming him, using the same litterbox ect...is healthy as an ox and it has been over 2 years since Aston died...proof that it is not contagious per se.

My advice...as there is no fail safe against it...do not under any circumstance accept a kitten who does not appear 100% healthy...you want a healthy weight, clear eyes (very important), active, no sign of nasal discharge (very important)...Aston had conjunctivitis and nasal discharge when I took him home...these are two of the beginning symptoms...however, they are also common cat ailments that can easily be cleared up...you never know...but you don't have to take the chance either...my Finster also has nasal discharge...turns out he has seasonal allergies, him and my son are snotty together during spring and fall.

Oh...and another reason you don't want any nasal discharge from the get go is that cats are very susceptible to a certain herpes virus which causes chronic snots...also no cure...it is not fatal and it is manageable...but quite annoying...we first thought that is what Fin had until we started seeing the seasonal cycle...

Bottom line...a good breeder will have the majority of healthy cats, will not want you to take home a cat that is questionable, and will stand behind the cat in case FIP occurs...although it is not their fault, you have an expectation of buying a healthy cat, and a good breeder will offer some kind of guarantee.

Aston 9/04-3/05 We miss you.

Thanks for sharing the info.. my reaction to the photo.. Aww.. she was beautiful.. I will be on the lookout. Thanks.

As you mentioned, it was me that had a kitten die, actually last Dec.

I got Charlie in Aug. of 2006. She either had a runny nose from the begining, or acquired it within a day or so of my getting her. I chalked it up to a kitten cold induced by the stress of coming to a new home. She got very sick very quickly in late Nov. and after over $500 in vet bills and pretty much being told there was no hope I made the aweful decision to put her down on Dec. 1st.

Here's the thing about FIP- there really is no definitive test for it. Tests can only prove exposure, and most cats that are exposed never get sick. In fact, almost all cats from catteries, or even multi cat households, are exposed to FIP at some point.

In cats that get sick there are two forms- the "wet form" and "dry form." The wet form is actually rather easy to diagnose, because the abdimon and chest fill with fluid, which is pretty obvious upon examination. It is also the more common form. The dry form doesn't present with such obvious signs, but is still deadly.

Because there isn't a definitive test for FIP it is often blamed for any unexplained deadly illness in a cat or kitten. Charlie had some symptoms that fit, and some that didn't. Necropsy can give more of an indication, but I wouldn't let them do one. My kitten, my baby, was dead, it didn't really matter to me what disease was the culprit.

Charlie's breeder talked to her own vet and he mentioned that there have been recent cases of a new strain of calici that is resistent to the current vaccine. We have also both acknowledged that it is possible that Charlie was born with some sort of defect that wasn't immediately apparent. That is actually what I tend to believe was the case. It was tragic, and heartbreaking, and I still miss her (I am tearing up just writing this) but there was nothing else I could do for her. Her life was short, but she was very well loved in the time that I had her.

On a happier note, Charlie's breeder gave me a new kitten. In a case like Charlie's most reputable breeders will "replace" (for lack of a better word) the kitten. Charlie's death didn't fall under the conditions of the contract I signed (in fact, it pretty much was listed under conditions that the breeder wasn't require to replace the kitten), but she replaced her anyway. My new kitten, Sina, is 10 months old and currently asleep next to me on the couch. She is pretty much nothing like Charlie- a honey solid while Charlie was a natural solid, very rambunctious but rather shy where Charlie was calm and outgoing. Very different, but I love her just as much as I loved Charlie.