Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
Does your Cat's Health Guarantee have a clause that states it will become invalid if you vaccinate your kitten for FIP? Have you ever wondered why or do you understand why? Do you know what FIP is?
FIP is one of the most misunderstood feline viruses by many veterinarians, so is it any wonder that owners as well as breeders have such a difficult time comprehending this virus also? The actual virus which causes FIP is called feline coronavirus (FCoV). Feline coronavirus can be very common among cats in multi-cat households, catteries and shelters.
Feline coronavirus is different from other feline viruses in a few distinct ways:
- Antibody titers in a blood sample are meaningless for diagnosis of FIP or prognosis; detection of the feline coronavirus is also not diagnostic, and currently no test exists that can distinguish the virus of FIP from the enteric form of FCoV
- A vaccine is available, but there is no consensus on its efficacy ("capacity to produce an effect")
Terminology:
FIP is the clinical term for the clinical disease associated with feline coronavirus infection.
FECV (feline enteric infection) is the common benign form of the feline coronavirus. (The term "enteric" refers to an infection of the intestines).
FIPV (feline infectious peritonitis virus) is the term for when FECV has mutated into the disease-causing form.
FCoV (feline coronavirus) in general are referred to as coronavirus.
FECV is a highly infectious feline virus that belongs to the genus Coronavirus whose sub-strains can infect other species (man, swine, cattle, birds, dogs). It is estimated by veterinary research professionals like, Dr. Janet Foley and Dr. Niels Pedersen of the University of California at Davis, that about 90% or more of cats with FECV remain healthy. However, in a very small number of cases, the FECV infection is the first step in a chain of events which leads to FIP.
Most veterinarian health research experts believe the transmission of FIP to be considered rare. These leading researchers believe that cats that are ill with FIP are unlikely to be a risk to other cats and thus do not need to be isolated.
Households with multiple cats and catteries are more likely to be FECV-positive due to the cats and kittens going in and out of the home. However, good news! The incidence of the cases of FIP is quite low in comparison. According to the research, these households and catteries, experience far less than 10% losses to FIP over the years.
There are two forms of FIP: the wet (effusive) form and the dry (non-effusive) form. The wet form is characterized by an accumulation of fluid in the chest or abdomen. The dry form of FIP is characterized by inflammatory sores that can be found in almost any organ of the body, including the nervous system. In both the wet and dry forms of the illness, one will see a loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, and a fluctuating fever that is not responsive to antibiotics.
Why Your Breeder Does Not Want Your Cat Vaccinated For FIP -
As of the date of this article, there is no reliable way to screen for FIP in healthy cats. Antibody titers (the result of the FIP test) should not be used to screen healthy cats as there are problems with the interpretation of the antibody tests and there are also problems with laboratory quality control.
Cats that have been vaccinated with the vaccine may test positive on coronavirus antibody tests. A negative antibody titer does not rule out FIP. This is why your breeder may not want your cat vaccinated with the FIP vaccine because of the many false positive results that it causes and the panic it and sorrow it may cause the owner.
