Oct 10, 2019
It is always an incredible feeling to be a proud cat parent. Cats are extremely cute creatures that liven up the lives of people around them, but sadly, these lil munchkins are susceptible to many illnesses and diseases, and one such viral disease is known as Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Many pet parents might have not heard about Feline Infectious Peritonitis, but this particular disease is seen worldwide and infects numerous cats. Hence, for cat parents that want to know more about this disease, keep on reading as we’re about to reveal everything that needs to be known about Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in cats.
Definition of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Feline Infectious Peritonitis is a complex and fatal disease occurred in cats and kittens. This particular viral disease is caused by a common virus known as feline coronavirus and is known to arise from a mutation of such a virus within the cat’s body. It attacks the cells of the intestinal wall and leads to inflammation in several organ systems. Moreover, this viral disease is seen in two forms: wet and dry form.
Signs and Symptoms of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Since Feline Infectious Peritonitis is seen in two forms, the signs and symptoms of both will slightly differ from each other.
Common symptoms of the wet form of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Common symptoms of the dry form of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Causes of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
More often than not, Feline Infectious Peritonitis or FIP is found in young cats, especially those ones that are below 3 years old. Though it mainly affects younger cats, older and adult cats too can succumb to this viral disease. As stated earlier, this disease is thought to have resulted from a mutation of the virus within the body. The virus is spread via the nose and mouth through direct contact with the infected feces. Thus, the transmission of this virus between cats mainly occurs due to the sharing of the same litter box. Furthermore, this disease only develops in a few cats infected with the coronavirus. Hence, getting exposure does not necessarily mean cats will get infected with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).
Treating Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Feline Infectious Peritonitis yet. But there are a few measures that can be taken to provide temporary relief to your feline friend. Draining excessive fluid build-ups helps in providing brief relief to your cat. Moreover, numerous treatments will assist you in lowering the abnormal immune response to the coronavirus and give your feline some much-needed relief. Lastly, cats with the dry form of FIP tend to survive a lot longer than those cats infected with the wet form of FIP.
Preventing Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Since treating FIP is close to impossible, preventing it from infecting your cat is the best way to keep such a disease away from your four-legged pal. A FIP vaccine is available that helps prevent FIP, but it said to be not 100% effective. Thus, contact your vet before you take necessary action. Moreover, this type of viral disease can also be prevented by simply keeping your cat indoors and away from cats that are infected with FIP.
Prevention is always better than cure, and in this case, it is even more essential to keep your little pal out of harm’s way because of the fatalness of this viral disease. Thus, make sure you keep your buddy well protected and miles away from the dangerous Feline Infectious Peritonitis disease.
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