Hi everyone,
I have 5 cats. My youngest is 8 months old and I adopted her with her mum last August.
Everything was going great until last Thursday. Zia started hiding away and didn't seem herself at all. Usually, she’s the first one there because she’s such a foodie, but she turned her nose up at her dinner. I’d noticed her poo had been a bit soft for about 3 days, but it wasn't full-on diarrhoea either.
By Friday morning, she was wobbling and looked even worse. In just 24 hours, her condition had gone downhill fast. I called the emergency vet. I managed to get an appointment an hour later, thank goodness!
Then the news hit me like a ton of bricks. She’s dehydrated and the vet thinks it’s FIP. She was spayed last month and, according to the vet, that was the trigger.
She decided to do a blood test, gave her an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory jab, gave me some Hill’s a/d wet food and told me to see if she’d eat during the day. If not, she said she’d have to be put to sleep the next morning because her condition would only get worse and the outcome is always fatal anyway.
I don't want to believe it. I’m completely distraught! On Friday, I was syringe-feeding her the wet food and water. I want to try everything I can.
The next morning, I decided to go back and ask for the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories in tablet form. I have to try! The vet was very pessimistic but gave me what I needed... and thank God she did!
On Saturday, I kept syringe-feeding her... by Sunday, she started eating and drinking on her own again. She’s not wobbling anymore. Her poo is back to normal and she’s using the litter tray fine.
Monday morning, the vet called: the blood results are terrible! She’s severely anaemic. None of her levels are right and she tested positive for the feline coronavirus that causes FIP.
Since she’s actually doing better and better, I’ve decided to wait and see!
Since Monday, she’s been her old self again: greedy for food, playful, affectionate, everything normal. She hasn't lost any weight and is actually a bit chunky. The only symptom is that she’s lost her voice—when she tries to meow, nothing comes out.
She finishes her course of meds tonight. Is it possible the vet got it wrong? I’d love to hear from anyone whose cat has had FIP. Did they get better and then relapse? Can I keep hoping, or am I just kidding myself?
I love her so much, I’m so worried. The vet told me to keep her in isolation, but she’s crying for her mum and scratching at the door. Her mum is meowing for her too.
