Oliver My Five Month Old Kitten Might Be Dying From A Common Respiratory Virus

My life is hitting me hard with so many negative things, but I never expected God to hit me this hard. 

As you know from my previous post about my adoption of Oliver and him having to deal with severe diarrhea due to parasites and then an upper respiratory infection.  A couple of weeks ago we took him for his booster shots. After receiving the booster shots he started to sneeze a lot. We read that booster shots can cause cats to sneeze a lot, so we were blaming his sneezes on the shots. 

Two weeks later, I came home from work around 5:30 pm to find him acting so strange. He wasn't his playful self. He still had an appetite. He had a little crusty stuff on his eyes. A huge red flag that something was seriously wrong was when I saw him on his perch shivering and looking very lethargic. When I petted him or pick him up he will cry in pain. Oliver loves being petted and picked up, so this was another red flag that something is seriously wrong with my boy. 




My mom and I immediately rushed him to Red Barn Vet Clinic. They are a walk-in clinic. The problem is they closed at 6:00pm so I was praying we would get there in time.  We arrived at Red Barn right around 5:50pm. I went in to ask if they are still taking patients. The front receptionist said, "Sorry we aren't taking any more patients because we are closing up."  My brain went "Shit, now what?". I was so scared I was going to lose him. 

We headed to my normal Vet (South Kent Vet), which is 30 minutes away from our house, hoping they would be kind and see him. South Kent Vet is not a walk-in clinic and closes around 7:00pm. As we are driving, I am frantically calling my vet's emergency line in hopes of talking to a vet tech who will help me get him in immediately.   If a Vet Tech doesn't answer it goes to an answering machine. I left a message, but I also kept calling until a Vet Tech picked up.  Finally, my prayers were answered and a Vet Tech answered. I told her what was happening.  She went back to see if any of the doctors could see him. 

I was bawling my eyes out. Oliver loves car rides. I will open up his carrier and he will come out and sit on my lap. He always looking out the window all excited. This car ride he was curled up in the carrier not interested in the windows at all.  (more photos of him in his carrier at the bottom of this post)

She got back on the line and said, "Yes the doctor can see him. Just know it might be a little wait." I rather wait a little bit than not having him seen until the next day. 

I was asking God for Oliver's vet to see him. God answered my prayers. Dr. Burns walks in and I felt so much better.
She took his temperature and it was 104.8 which is extremely high. This is why he is shivering and crying in pain when you pet him and pick him up. She said the fever is causing him to have body aches.  She gave him an injection of steroids and an antibiotic.  She believes he has a respiratory infection. 
Four weeks ago, we were dealing with Trixie having an eye infection which could have been an upper respiratory infection too. Don't know. Thank God she is better. I am paranoid and always checking to see if it has gone away. Giving her medication is hell. Anyways back to Oliver. 

For seven days we were giving him an antibiotic. Tuesday night the 6th day on his medication, I noticed his breathing was off.  I called my vet and they got him into her schedule on Wednesday at 12:00pm.  He jumped on my lap like always, except this time I saw he was breathing was very harsh and fast. I was terrified he wouldn't make it through the night. This was around 12:30 am. I just took my sleeping medications, so I wasn't able to go with my mom to Blue Pearl.  I felt horrid she had to go by herself.  I was just thinking maybe the medications just weren't cutting it or maybe he still has a parasite. 

I fell asleep thanks to my nightly Ambien CR. My RSD pain is so bad it makes it impossible for me to sleep. When they put me on Ambien CR it really helps me sleep.  

10:00am I woke up. My mom looked majorly upset. I saw the look on her face. She told me the doctor took Oliver immediately to the Oxygen tank. He had fluid on his lungs, so they had to knock him out and drain the fluid. I guess the fluid was a little yellow and showed stringy protein material. The doctor was 90% sure he has FIP.  FIP is Feline Infectious Peritonitis.  

FIP is caused by a viral disease known as feline coronavirus. Coronavirus is very common in cats, but most of the time it does not cause any problems other than perhaps mild self-limiting diarrhea.  Sometimes the virus mutates (changes) to a strain of coronavirus which has causes FIP attacks the cells of the intestinal wall.  The virus spreads throughout the body and can cause a wide range of signs. There is no treatment or cure. Cats usually only live 1-4 weeks from diagnoses.  

There are two types of FIP:

1. Wet - This is the one Oliver supposedly have
2. Dry

How do Cats Get This:

According to International Cat Care, it is estimated 25-40% of household cats have been infected with FCoV, but the infection rate increases to 80-100% for cats kept in multi-cat households or colonies. It mainly infects the intestinal tract, where it replicates. FCoV is shed in the feces and may survive in the environment for a short while (several days or a few weeks) but is readily destroyed by common disinfectants. 

Infection is caused when a cat ingests the virus such as through licking. Some cats may remain persistently infected with FCoV and shed virus in their feces the whole time, others may be infected, develop strong immunity and be protected from future infections; and others may be infected and manage to eliminate the virus, but then get recurrent infections.  In some cases, FCoV will cause mild signs of enteritis (mild, self-limiting diarrhea), or sometimes no signs. 

Some Symptoms are: 

• Fever that doesn't respond to antibiotics
• Weight loss
• lethargy
• Fluid in the abdominal cavity, chest cavity or both. 
• Fluid in the chest shows labored breathing. 
• Cats with fluid in the abdomen show progressive, nonpainful abdominal distension. 
• In dry form FIP, small accumulations of inflammatory cells, or granulomas, form in various organs and clinical signs depend on which organ is affected. 
• If kidneys are affected- excessive thirst and urination, vomiting and weight loss are seen. 
• If the liver is affected - jaundice. 
• The eyes and neurologic system are frequently affected as well. 

Diagnosing FIP:

There is no test that can distinguish between the harmless intestinal coronavirus and the deadly FIP coronavirus. 

If your cat has the "wet" form they can send a sample of the fluid to a special laboratory. 

Studies reported cats with signs suggestive of FIP, who also had a high coronavirus antibody level, reduced numbers of lymphocytes and high levels of globulins in the bloodstream, had an 88.9% probability of having FIP. 

Diagnosing dry for is even more challenging, often requiring a biopsy of affected organs. 

Typical changes are seen on routine blood tests - these may include

• Lymphopenia (low numbers of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell)
• Neutrophilia (increased numbers of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell)
• Anemia
• Elevated globulin concentrations (one of the major groups of proteins in the blood)
• Elevated liver enzymes (eg, ALT, ALP)
• Elevated bilirubin (and jaundice or yellowing of the gums and eyes)

None of these blood changes are specific for FIP, occurring with other diseases too. Itis important to get blood work done when your cat is first diagnosed so you can check to see their progress or steps backward. 

If an effusion is present in the abdomen or chest cavity, obtaining a sample of the fluid and analyzing the cell and protein content can be extremely helpful. With FIP the fluid invariably has a high protein content (greater than 35 g/l) and at least 50% of the proteins are globulins. Because this test is very helpful, and because few other diseases cause this type of fluid accumulation when FIP is suspected a vet will often take X-rays or do an ultrasound examination to see if the fluid is present so that a sample can be collected for analysis.

Other tests that can also sometimes be helpful include:

• Further analysis of proteins in the blood (e.g., looking at globulin sub-types or measuring the protein acid-1-alpha glycoprotein [AGP])
• Evaluation of a cerebrospinal fluid sample (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) in cases where there are neurological signs

Looking for the presence of antibodies against the virus in a blood sample (coronavirus serology) is of very limited value - antibodies against FCoV develop irrespective of the type of virus infecting a cat and the antibody test cannot differentiate between different strains of the virus. A very large number of perfectly healthy cats are therefore positive on this test.

Who is most at risk?

Any age can get FIP. Kittens are most often seen having it. Around 80% of cases diagnosed are cats less than 2 years old and many are seen in 4-12 month old. Stress can increase the risk of them getting it. There is evidence genetics can play a role in getting it. 

Ways to Try to Prevent It: 

• There is a vaccine, but I would not recommend it. It just makes other severe things happen in the cats body. 
• Avoid keeping large groups of cats and having multiple litters of kittens at any one time. 
• Keep cats in small isolated groups (ideally no more than four cats in each group-- this reduces the risk of endemic FCoV infection)
• Have at least one litter box for every two cats, located in easy to clean and disinfect areas. 
• Keep litter boxes away from food and water bowls, and clean/disinfectant them regularly (at least daily) 
• Avoid stress and maintain good hygiene and preventative healthcare for all cats. 

Treatments:

• Low to moderate dosage of prednisolone or prednisone (starting at 2 mg/kg, orally, once a day for two weeks and then 0.5-1 mg/kg indefinitely), 
• Coupled with a diet high in animal protein (e.g., 1/2 cooked chicken, turkey or rabbit and 1/2 a favorite commercial cat food) and a lot of personal care, is the simplest and possibly most effective symptomatic treatment. 
• removal of pleural fluid. Removal of abdominal fluid should be discouraged unless it is so massive that it interferes with breathing. 
• GS-441524 and GC376 this is made in China and can only get it through people in the F.I.P. Warriors group. Keep in mind the FDA hasn't approved this and you are having to buy it off the black market. It also cost $400 for 7 day supply depending on the age, weight, and type of FIP.
• The use of non-specific immunostimulants (usually for treating specific signs of feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiencies virus infection such as anemia or low lymphocyte counts). There are occasional anecdotal reports of cats with “FIP” being cured or their lives prolonged by such treatments. These types of immunostimulants include:
•  Substances such as Staphylococcal A protein, 
• ImmunoRegulin (Propriobacterium acnes), 
• Acemannan (mucopolysaccharide extract of Aloe vera leaves) 
• Imulan (lymphocyte T-cell immunomodulator). There is no evidence that these biologics have any beneficial effect on actual cases of FIP.

Blue Pearl cost me over $860 and not much of an answer. I learned they didn't even take blood work. So frustrating.  I felt so bad for my mom having to give me the news. They wanted her to put him down that night, but she didn't. I am thankful for that. 

The next day, Wednesday, I still had him see my normal Vet. Dr. Burns, to get her opinion on what is going on. She looked him over and said he is really sick.  I wish I didn't tell her what Blue Pearl said so she could give me her opinion. $40 less in my pocket to receive no ideas of investigating if it is defiantly FIP. All she told me was to enjoy the little bit of time I have with him. I am trying to be strong for Oliver because I know he gets stressed when he sees me cry. 

Wednesday afternoon after getting home from the vet, I texted Sue Powell about Oliver. She does energy healing. She worked on him that night. The next day Oliver had so much energy. He was playing with Trixie and eating even more than he was.  He was back to himself. Yes, he is on antibiotics and prednisone, but I can't imagine it would make him feel that better.  

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday he was running around and playing. Everything I read about FIP is they get bad fast. If you are lucky they will only live one-two months, but they will be in pretty bad shape. 

Either Sue is helping him by removing the viruses from his system or the meds or he was misdiagnosed. 

My gut is telling me he has some sort of heartworm or even a lung parasite since he had losts of parasites when we got him from Heaven Can Wait. He had explosive diarrhea and we found little worms in his poo. 

Heaven Can Wait is a great organization, but some of the foster parents have too many kittens in one household.  The lady I got Oliver from had over 15 kittens in her house. He was so thin when I picked him up. He was not a healthy boy. Another way FIP can be triggered is if they get fixed or spayed too soon. They say a kitten should not be fixed or spayed until at least 5 months. Any sooner than 5 months can cause problems in the future. He just barely weighed 2 pounds. He was only 2 1/2 months old when he got fixed. I know they knew how much I want him home, but I totally understand why I would have had to wait. Now I know. 

Thursday, August 29th at 10:45am I brought him back into my vet because we are running out of medications. Plus, everything I read and all the support groups I joined said I need to have blood work done on him. So that is what we did. $150 later. 

Friday, August 30 my vet called and told me he needs to go off from the prednisone and stay on another course of antibiotics. I would think if Dr. Burns thought it was FIP she would say something like, "The Blood work is leaning towards him having FIP." She has been honest with me in the past. I have so many questions but she isn't in until Tuesday due to the stupid labor day holiday weekend. 

We are not pulling him off from prednisone cold turkey we are tapering it because I just don't want any shock to his system. 

Yesterday and Today all of my cats haven't been very active. Hopefully, it means they are just tired and not sick. They are all eating. 

FIP can be contagious, but if your cat has good immune system they might not get the full-blown FIP Coronavirus. My vet suggested I might want to split them up to be on the safe side, but they have been in contact with each other since we brought him home. Trixie and Faith were using the kitty litter when Oliver was having explosive diarrhea, so if they are going to get it there going to get it. Plus, I can't do that to them. Trixie and Oliver and really tight. It would really stress them out not being able to be together. We are taking precautions by disinfecting the kitty boxes twice a day. Cleaning their water bowls 3-4 times a day. Making sure their food is far from the kitty litter boxes. 

Disinfecting the floor areas near the kitty boxes. Giving them probiotics and other immune support. 

My vet said FIP is rare. She said 1 in 5000 cats get it. The cats they do see getting FIP are outdoor cats and feral cats. 

Blue Pearl said Oliver most likely got it from his mother. 

Another thing I learned was I will never go to Blue Pearl because all they care about is the money. They wanted my mom to spend over $8000 to find out it is defiantly FIP or it could be three other conditions that have poor outcomes too. My vet's technician said they don't recommend going to them because they up sell and take advantage of vulnerable situations. I know my medical prices for cats and I know they were charging me triple the amount it would cost if I got it down at my normal vet. 

If my cats ever have an emergency I will drive 1 hour 5 mins to MSU or go to the on Plainwell, but I will never go to Blue Pearl again.

After having cats with health problems you do get paranoid with every little thing. It is hard not to. 

I only make $14,000 a year, so having major sick cats really hurts me financially and emotionally because with my health conditions I can't go out and get another job to help me pay for my vet bills but I adopted them and have taken the responsibility of taking care of them. They are my kids. I will have to do a rant post about how we give up too easily on our pets. You don't see us putting kids down when they are sick. 

Life right now is hitting me hard and I try my best not to fall into a severe depression. 

I will keep you posted on Oliver, Trixie, and Faith. Please put us all in your prayers!! See below for more pictures of Oliver and FIP resources and information. If I run into any more good information about FIP and its treatment I will do another post. 

FIP Resources:

https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/feline-infectious-peritonitis-fip
https://www.amcny.org/blog/2012/06/05/getting-another-cat-after-a-diagnosis-of-fip
https://www.zenbycat.org/about-fip

Treatment Information:
https://www.sockfip.org/about-fip/fip-treatment

Support Groups:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fipfighters/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIPcare/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/916940048647322/