Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
Feline Infectious Peritonitis, often-abbreviated FIP, is a disease in the cat, which often affects the lining of the chest and/or abdomen.
There is still a lot not known about this disease. It has been recognized since the 1960's and is much more complex than many of the other cat diseases.
The disease is definitely contagious from cat to cat, but we do not know exactly how it is spread.
The virus which causes feline infectious peritonitis is a coronavirus (a specific family of viruses) and it may be shed in the saliva, urine, and feces of infected cats. Most infections are thought to occur through the mouth or nose.
It is often seen later in other cats in a household once a positive case has been diagnosed.
Symptoms Of Feline Infectious Peritonitis:
Signs of feline infectious peritonitis often develop very slowly over a period of months. There are two forms of FIP known: a “wet” form and a “dry” form.
In the “wet” form, fluid accumulates in the chest and/or abdomen.
In the “dry” form, lesions (“granulomas”) form in major organs, such as the liver.
Early signs are very vague and mimic other diseases. Loss of appetite, high fever, and labored breathing are often the first signs.
As the disease progresses, signs may include very difficult breathing, distended abdomen, weight loss, and emaciation.
Death will eventually occur from suffocation caused by a buildup of fluid in the chest restricting the ability of the lungs to inflate with air.
Diagnosis Of Feline Infectious Peritonitis:
Diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis centers on physical examination, clinical signs, and results from routine laboratory tests, such as a blood screen and possibly a urinalysis.
Testing for feline infectious peritonitis, particularly in asymptomatic cats, can prove to be very difficult and frustrating. Commonly used blood tests for FIP often only indicate potential exposure to the disease. (To be more accurate, a positive blood screen for FIP indicates exposure to either the FIP virus or another type of coronavirus called the feline enteric coronavirus.)
More accurate testing will involve biopsies of affected tissues.
If fluid is present in the chest and/or abdomen, the fluid can also be collected for examination and can aid in the diagnosis of FIP.
Treatment Of Feline Infectious Peritonitis:
There are no known cures for feline infectious peritonitis at this time. Sometimes treatment is available that can provide temporary relief in some cats, however it does not reverse the course of the disease, and in the end treatment is not successful.
Immuno-suppressive drugs, such as corticosteroids, are sometimes used to try to slow the course of the disease.
Prevention Of Feline Infectious Peritonitis:
The following recommendations will help control the disease:
- Isolate infected cats to prevent the spread if they are not euthanized.
- Practice good hygiene and sanitation with adequate cleaning of food and water bowls.
- If you have a "positive" cat, do not bring a new cat into the household as long as that cat is present. Thirty days after that cat is no longer present, other cats in the household should be tested for the disease before you adopt any new cat, possibly exposing them to the disease.
- Disinfecting with 4 ounces of Clorox in one gallon of water is effective in killing the virus that causes FIP.
There is vaccine available against FIP. However, the efficacy of the vaccination has been called into question by some researchers.
