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Risk of FIP transmission from new cat to other cats

  • 17-02-2013 09:11PM
    #1
    Pumpkinseeds
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,635 ✭✭✭


    I'm looking for a bit of information/advice on this. I know of a female cat that is a carrier of FIP,her kittens died of it. Other than being on the small side she shows no symptoms herself. The people who have been caring for her are having to move and they can't bring her, don't ask as I'm totally hacked off about the whole sordid business:mad:

    I'm thinking of taking her on myself, if a good home can't be found for her, the problem is that I have 2 indoor/outdoor male cats and I'm afraid that they might be infected by her. One of my chaps is extremely territorial so it would be a nightmare anyway.

    Any advice/information would be appreciated


Comments

  • #2
    The Sweeper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,658 ✭✭✭✭The Sweeper


    I can almost guarantee you she doesn't have FIP. She might have FIV?

    Feline infectious peritonitis has two forms (wet and dry) both of which are fatal, and usually in quite a short time. It's not well understood - might be a mutation of the coronavirus. My first cat died of wet FIP about 14 years ago. No hope, and it took her within a week. The dry kind - less common - takes a bit longer but is also ultimately fatal within a few weeks or months. If this cat does have FIP, it can't be cured and all treatment is palliative. She'd have weeks to live.

    /Edited to add that FIP really isn't contagious between cats. FIV can be transferred to kittens in utero.

    I think it's more likely to be FIV, which is like HIV for cats - an immunological disease, but not really ultimately fatal. Cats can live for years with FIV. They can be prone to infection or disease because they have a suppressed immune system.

    Deep bite wounds and scratches will cause the disease to spread between cats, which sounds highly likely with your cats. If you take her on your own boys will most probably get infected unless you split the house and keep them separate. If you take her on you really have a moral responsibility to keep her as an indoor cat due to the potential for her to infect local cats.


  • #3
    Pumpkinseeds
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,635 ✭✭✭Pumpkinseeds


    Thanks for that, you're spot on. I was afraid that she would pass it to my 2 chaps and I have to put their welfare first. The female is about 3/4 years old and had a few litters before these people had her neutered. She belongs to neighbours of these people but the current care givers have been feeding her, giving her flea/worm treatments and vet care and she has been living with them and their own cat for about 2 years or so.

    The first owners seem indifferent to her. One of the major problems for the people looking after her is that she has always been indoor/outdoor and will not stay locked up as she seems to have been left to her own devices as an outdoor cat for the first year of her life. She brings home toms, swans up the garden with them and she sprays everywhere. Bringing home toms gets their own neutered cat into fights as has happened last week. A tom actually forced his way through 2 cat flaps and attacked their own male as well as spraying the house and pooping in the living room.

    I totally agree that their is moral obligation to keep her indoors, however persuading other people of that is a different matter. I wouldn't be able to divide the house up further as my 2 just tolerate each other and have divided the house up for themselves. I'll just have to see what else I can do for her. She is a total sweetheart.


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