Question:
I just called the vet because i think that Lucy is headed downhill again. She's still leaking that yellow stuff, she's peeing when she sleeps (and doesn't realize it), she has diarrhea and she has lost weight. She's lost a quarter of a pound...i know that doesn't sound like much but when she only weighed 2.25 to begin with, that's quite a bit to lose. She is eating a ton and drinking water, but is losing weight. This vet (they contradict themselves) doesn't think that what Lucy is leaking is bile, but actually something else...from her intestinal tract or something like that. Anyone else had a similar experience? At this point, neither vet knows what to do. They are going to call Cornell University for an opinion from a specialist and are leaning toward FIP but want an expert opinion. I will keep you all posted. This is so depressing...I keep thinking about all the people who have healthy animals and don't deserve them...and then I try my best and can't help this little one.

Answer:
OMG she needs to get to a specialist! Oh this is so sad....what are you going to do now?

Answer:
Oh TC,I don't know what to say,one thing for sure you have done everything possible to help her,it's just soo sad.She should be growing and gaining weight.
What are the vets saying? Is she suffering? I wish they could give you an answer.I was going to suggest an emergency animal hospital,but I don't know if you have one where you are,because your vets are dilly-dallying around, trying different things while Lucy gets sicker.
I cry saying this,but I wonder if her little body can take much more :(
If you have an emergency hospital,I would give it a try,maybe they could give you an answer,where your vets failed.
Poor,poor little Lucy and her Mom :(

Answer:
I dunno where u are but:

For cats only


http://alumni.binghamton.edu/AC/oct03/alumni.htm

Arnold Plotnick '81, MS, DVM, ACVIM, ABV, founder of Manhattan Cat Specialists (MCS), a new cats-only veterinary facility on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, is the author of a monthly column in Cat Fancy magazine, "Feline Frontiers," which discusses the latest medical advances in the fields of feline medicine and surgery. Plotnick was featured in articles in the Aug. 23, 2003 New York Daily News, "Weighing in on Fat Cats, Dogs;" in the Aug. 5, 2003 Newsday, "Tabby Takes his Drinks on Tap;" and in the August 2003 issue of Prevention, "Kidney Disease: The Silent Killer."

Plotnick, a native New Yorker, is the only cat expert in the Big Apple, board-certified by both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). He serves on the editorial advisory board of Veterinary Forum magazine, as the endocrinology specialist, and on the editorial board of Vetplace.net.


Arnold Plotnick DVM, ACVIM, ABVP. Dr. Plotnick operates the Manhattan Cat Specialists, a feline specialty practice in New York City.

Answer:
omg TC you sure are having problems? Poor little Lucy! I agree with chico as to how much her body can take? But then in some ways I'm encouraged because sounds like she hasn't given up. I would fight as long as she wants to fight. But if she gives up then your in trouble.

Your lucky your in New York city. I bet there is lots of vet hospitals there?
I wonder what the heck she is leaking from the belly? I was wondering if her gallbladder is failed? Do cats have gall bladders?

TC your really a big hero in my eyes for doing all your doing. I know it's frustrating but try to keep your hopes up ok!

Answer:
TC ...I was doing a little reading on this disease(FIP)....now what I was reading is they can re-infect themselves with their own fluid.....also not to use wash clothes but paper towels to clean up. There was a suggestion on there and I'm gonna run it by you. Might not be a bad idea either way. They said to clean a cage...disinfect and put the cat in there. Clean and disinfect as necessary. I would imagine when you see fluid? Sounds a bit cruel but I can understand the idea behind it. If there are other cats in the house you will have to watch them too.

Answer:
Really Amaruq? Wow

Answer:
Okay Lucy you got us all workin for you now

I am digging here to find out more as well.............This reading really upset me but I think you need to know it.........IS THE VET SURE IT"S FIP>>??????

http://www.hdw-inc.com/healthfip.htm
Is there a cure for FIP? Once a positive diagnosis of FIP has been made, it is considered to be a terminal disease, with no cure at this date. The basic aim of therapy is to provide supportive care and to alleviate the self-destroying inflammatory response of the disease. Some treatments may induce short-term remissions in a small percentage of cats, and a combination of corticosteriods, cytotoxic drugs, and antibiotics with maintenance of nutrient and fluid intake may be helpful in some cases. There are numerous studies and research being done now for beneficial medications for the future treatment of FIP. As always, we recommend contacting the teaching veterinary hospitals in your area to speak with the specialists there, as these facilities are most often aware of the most recent test results and cutting edge technologies.

Once clinical signs appear, cats with effusive (wet) form of FIP will live a few days to a few weeks, although some adult cats may linger for six to eight months. Cats with the dry form of FIP usually die within a few weeks; however, some cats have survived for up to a year or more. There are always so many variables to be considered, such as the age and overall health of your cat, and the quality and timeframe of the medical care that has been provided and that can be provided in the future for the animal. The best you can do is to provide good nursing care, feed a highly nutritious diet, and work with your veterinarian to make your cat as comfortable as possible, which may involve the prescription of medications to reduce some of the symptoms. FIP has not been documented in any species other than those of the cat family, and is not known to be a health risk for humans. The FIP virus for cats is similar to the canine coronavirus, which causes enteritis in dogs.

Bawling my flipping head off now!!!


http://www.users.waitrose.com/~thecatgroup/fipfaq.html

What should I do if I suspect my cat has FIP?
The most important action to take if you suspect your cat has FIP is to seek veterinary advice as soon as possible. A variety of investigations may need to be done to investigate the possibility of FIP (clinical examination, blood tests, radiographs etc.). Where a definitive diagnosis is needed then a tissue biopsy will probably be required.
In most cases, cats that develop FIP will not be shedding the virulent FIP-causing virus and therefore will not be a risk to other in-contact cats. However, this will not invariably be the case and, as a precaution, where possible, it is probably best to try to keep a suspected clinical case separate from other cats

What should I do if my cat dies from FIP, and when can I get another?
As most cats that develop FIP do not shed virulent FIP-causing virus, the risk to any other cats is very low. However, some additional precautions may be taken to further reduce any potential risk:

If there are no other cats in the household, waiting 6-8 weeks before obtaining another cat will help ensure there is no or minimal risk from environmental contamination with the virus. Disinfecting food and water bowls, litter trays and areas where the cat has been will also help as the virus is susceptible to all commonly used disinfectants (see www.fabcats.org/is48.html)

If there are other cats in the household, although they will probably all have been exposed to and infected with FCoV, there is only a small risk they will have been infected with, or developed, an FIP-causing strain of the virus, and again only a very small risk that they could pass this on to other cats. To minimise such risks further it is possible to:
- Avoid bringing any new cats, and especially kittens, into the household for the following 6 months

- Serotest any remaining cats every few months to follow their antibody status, and wait until they become antibody negative before introducing any other cats. The basis for this is that antibody negative cats are generally thought to be free of virus, and therefore new cats introduced would not be at risk of being infected with FCoV. However, some cats may remain persistently infected with FCoV and if there are several cats it may be necessary to separate them to prevent re-infection between them. If remaining cats are monitored until seronegative, any new additions should also be tested, and be seronegative, prior to introduction. Although feasible, this approach is rarely practical, especially given the low risk of further cases of clinical disease



http://www.users.waitrose.com/~thecatgroup/fip.html

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is an uncommon, fatal viral disease of cats caused by infection with feline coronavirus (FCoV). Infections with FCoV are in fact very prevalent in cats throughout the world, and in most cases the virus will cause no clinical signs or only mild, transient disease such as self-limiting diarrhoea. Uncommonly, infection will result in the development of the progressive fatal manifestation of disease known as FIP - one of the most serious of the viral infections of cats not only because of its fatal nature, but also because of the difficulties in achieving an ante mortem diagnosis, and the problems associated with control of this disease.

Kittens born in an environment where FCoV is prevalent will likely be protected initially by maternally-derived immunity (antibodies absorbed from the mother's milk in the first 24 hours of sucking). This immunity typically wanes to undetectable levels at 6-8 weeks of age, and most kittens become infected and shed FCoV in their faeces from 5-11 weeks of age. Following this, the kittens produce their own antibodies. Although coronaviruses are quite fragile and susceptible to most commonly used disinfectants (http://www.fabcats.org/is48.html), some strains may remain viable in the environment for up to a few weeks, suggesting that susceptible kittens may sometimes be infected from a contaminated environment as well as via contact with older cats.

Feline infectious peritonitis is predominantly a disease of young cats occurring from the post-weaning period onwards. The peak age for development of disease is between six months and two years

Answer:
Thanks for all the info and research that you have done! It's helpful to read about what the vet may think it is...they aren't sure that FIP is what Lucy has, but say that not many other diseases will cause suppressed WBC and RBC. I'm about five hours from NYC, but thanks for the suggestion. Cornell is a huge animal research institute, so I'm hoping they will have some suggestions after they review her file and history. I'm still wondering what the yellow stuff coming from her back end is.

The little bugger has learned to meow...i put her in the bathroom last night and she meowed her little head off. Now she just walks around meowing all the time.

Answer:
As I said before FIP is very evil. I am sorry to say I have seen more than my share of it..

Smooches to Lucy... You have been so very brave.

Answer:
i just got off the phone with the vet, who spoke to the specialists at cornell university. they suggested a full work up...bone marrow test, tissue samples, etc....with a ballpark estimate of $500! now, i usually have a small amount of money set aside in case my animals ever get sick, but with lucy's health, have drained that account. they said that it's definitely not panleukopenia but that it could be FIP or FeLV. they said that sometimes when a cat gets FeLV so young, the test results are not accurate. so, according to them she could have FIP or FeLV...both of which are incurable and awful diseases to let a kitten suffer through. just to be safe, lucy is having another CBC done this afternoon to check her levels (WBC and RBC). the vet said that another option is a blood transfusion, but she'd have to be hospitalized and there's no guarantee as to the successfulness of the procedure. i just really don't want to put her through much more...so, i guess we will know after tonight what lucy's fate will be.

Answer:
So sorry to hear about Lucy!! :( We're pulling for you and Lucy; I'm sure this has been a very difficult time for you and Lucy. please keep us updated.

Answer:
Oh my dear, what a horrible decision to have to make. I am so sorry you are going through this!

Please know that we are all with you no matter what your decision is, you are one heck of a lady (HUGS)

Answer:
I agree,you have certainly given it your all.
I don't know what I would do,but if the vets are almost certain FIP is what she has,why put her through tests and pain if the outcome will be the same. Did the vet recommend testing her? Is there anything else than FIP that it could be?
At maybe less than 2lb,could she recover?
It's ulimately your choice and I am behind you 200%,we know you love poor little Lucy,but it's been an up and down battle for sooo long,all we can do is hope for a little miracle :(

Answer:
(((lucy)))!

Answer:
((((TC)))) {{{{{{{Lucy}}}}}}}} Sometimes there's only so much you can do.....and sometimes there's only one thing to do.

Answer:
I am sorry to be joining you obviously wonderful and caring people under the circumstances that I have recently experienced...Friday: May 14.

I adopted a little cream colored kitten six months ago, his name was Spice. In six months time that little guy became the love of my life, my comfort and brought me so much happiness...now he is gone because of FIP. I still can't believe it happened. And I had no idea that a little furry kitten could take such a huge part of my heart. I feel sad, and so angry. It isn't fair! I gave Spice soo much love, so why??? I am having a very difficult time with the loss. I keep thinking I hear the bell on his collar. And when I wake up, I instantly think that I must be careful with my feet and movements so that I don't hurt, or disturb him. I was not prepared for this because of how quickly it happened. I am sorry for carrying on so much. It is just that no one seems to understand the loss that I feel. I can't stop crying sometimes, like now...

Thank you for listening,
Leigh.

Answer:
Welcome to here Kitten..
I think here we all understand what a very sad situation it is losing a loved little companion.We all been through it and it is very,very difficult.
Cry all you need to,at times it seems like you'll never stop,but it will get better and you'll keep this little soul in your heart forever and remember the fun times you had and the happiness this little furry friend brought you.
The time will come,that you'll open your heart to another needy little kitten or cat and give him all the love and care you obviously have,don't let little Spice's illness detere you.These very sad things happen,we don't know why,but it is not the norm,chanses are if you rescue another little fur-ball,he'll be with you for a very long time.
So,very sorry for little Spice and I am glad you wrote us here,we understand the grief and sorrow.It is a very normal reaction when you lose someone you love.

Answer:
Thank you so much chico, it feels really good to have my feelings understood and that it's okay to feel them. I hope I can be a great support for everyone as well. I am a very good listener, and I am a pro at loss.

I haven't had Lucy off of my mind ever since I read this thread. God be with all who are fighting and struggling, and let's never give up, even when we have to let go,(as I did, but it was SO difficult!). We just have to be there for one another.

Hugs to you all, Leigh.

Answer:
Hi again Leigh,you should have started a new thread instead of little Lucy's,Lucy past a few weeks ago and we all shed many tears for her over the weeks she struggled to live.
Of course it's ok to grieve and cry,Spice was very important to you,as are all our pets.
You can tell the story about Spice in a new Thread,we can all benefit and learn from your experience and how FIP effected poor little Spice.
Before here I never knew of FIP.
Take care..Anita

Answer: