Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in cats
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is undoubtedly one of the most feared diseases in cats. FIP is common worldwide. The virus infection is always fatal.
In the following article you will find out what makes this cat disease so dangerous, how it’s transmitted and the symptoms of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).
What is FIP?
The most common consequence of an infection with FIP is an infection or inflammation of the peritoneum of the cat. The peritoneum is a skin that lines the abdominal cavity and envelops the internal organs in the abdomen.
In addition to peritonitis, infection with Feline Infectious Peritonitis can also lead to pleurisy. The breast skin (pleura) is similar in structure and function to the peritoneum. However, it lines the chest cavity and is a sheath around the lungs.
In some cases, FIP can occur in cats without breast or peritonitis. In this case one speaks of dry FIP.
What causes FIP in cats?
FIP is triggered by the Feline Coronavirus. Under normal circumstances, this pathogen is largely harmless and only causes diarrhea and, in some cases, fever in cats.
However, it can happen that the actually harmless viruses mutate and FIP viruses develop from coronaviruses. Whether a mutation actually occurs and a cat develops FIP depends on various factors.
Among others, the following points play a role with regard to a possible mutation of the coronavirus:
- The age of the cat
- The cat's immune system
- Genetic susceptibility
- The aggressiveness of the pathogen strain
- The amount of viruses
According to estimates, coronaviruses mutate in around 5-10% of all infected cats. There is a particularly high risk for cats that are kept in groups in animal shelters or similar facilities.
Young animals are also particularly affected because their immune systems are not yet properly developed. About half of all FIP diseases occur in young cats and kittens.
Course of FIP infection in cats
The feline coronavirus is primarily transmitted through infected feces through the cat's nose and throat. However, mutated FIP viruses cannot be transmitted to another animal.
If corona viruses get into the body of your cat friend, they migrate into the intestine, where they attach themselves to the surfaces of the cells and penetrate them. There the viruses multiply and destroy the cell. This releases further viruses, which again infects cells in the intestines or are excreted with the faeces.
Although coronaviruses only survive outside the cat's body for a short time, they remain infectious for up to seven weeks and can therefore still infect another animal long after they have been eliminated.
Coronavirus mutation into FIP viruses
It can take days, months or even years for the coronavirus to mutate. If a mutation occurs, the FIP viruses infect the cat's phagocytes (macrophages) and spread further via them. Macrophages are an important part of the innate immune system. They are white blood cells and are used to fight pathogens.
It takes about two weeks for the VIP virus to spread through the cat's body after the mutation. Now the immune system begins to produce antibodies to fight the virus. In combination with the macrophages affected by the FIP viruses, however, this ultimately causes the actual disease symptoms of the Feline Infectious Peritonitis.
It usually takes a few weeks to 1.5 years for FIP to be noticed in cats for the first time. After the onset of the disease, FIP is fatal to the cat within a few days to weeks.
Symptoms of FIP in cats
The symptoms that FIP causes in cats can vary. Among other things, they depend on which organs are primarily affected by the infection. The disease can particularly affect the liver, kidneys, eyes, pancreas, intestines and the central nervous system of the four-legged friend.
FIP in cats can cause the following symptoms:
- The cat does not eat and loses weight.
- The four-legged person's girth increases.
- The cat has diarrhea.
- The cat vomits frequently.
- The mucous membranes turn yellow.
- There is a runny nose and shortness of breath.
- The animal appears increasingly dull and listless.
- The cat has a fever.
- There is a loss of consciousness.
- The four-legged friend urinates very often or only rarely.
- The cat suffers from conjunctivitis.
- The nick skins fall forward.
Wet and dry FIP in cats
Depending on the severity of the disease, a distinction is made between wet and dry FIP. Moist FIP results in fluid retention, particularly in the abdominal cavity. In some cases, however, the chest cavity can also be affected by the fluid accumulation.
With a dry FIP, however, no liquid accumulates. Instead, nodules form in the tissue, which can appear from the abdomen via the internal organs to the cat's skin. Occasionally cats also develop a mix of wet and dry FIP.
Diagnosing FIP in cats
Viruses are basically diagnosed with an antibody detection in the blood. In the case of an infection with Feline Infectious Peritonitis, however, this is not easily possible. The test works with both harmless corona viruses and mutated FIP viruses.
If the FIP is wet, it can be checked whether fluid has accumulated in the abdomen or chest. This is yellowish and stringy. The macrophages in it can contain FIP viruses. However, this is also not the case for every sick cat.
FIP is therefore diagnosed based on laboratory values and the symptoms the cat suffers from. However, an absolutely reliable diagnosis can only be made by opening and examining the abdominal cavity of the four-legged friend.
Treat cats with FIP
Unfortunately, FIP is not curable in cats. The disease is always fatal and is extremely painful for affected animals. For this reason, veterinarians usually advise you to sleep.
A comprehensive treatment of the symptoms can extend the life of a cat suffering from FIP in individual cases by a few months. Each animal owner must decide for themselves whether this really makes sense. Most animals die after a little more than a week after the onset of the disease.
Vaccinate cats against FIP viruses
There is a vaccine that can be used to vaccinate cats against FIP. However, this is very controversial. On the one hand, it only works in principle on animals that have definitely never been in contact with corona viruses, and on the other hand, it is far from being effective in all cats. According to studies, the success of vaccination against FIP ranges between 0 and 80 percent.
FIP in cats - our conclusion
FIP is certainly one of the worst diagnoses the vet can tell you after examining your cat.
We would recommend that you keep your cat in good hygiene, clean the cat's litter box regularly and make sure that your tiger gets all the important nutrients.
It also makes sense to supplement your cat's diet with special nutritional supplements to strengthen the immune system. In our range you will find I Love My Cat Immun and Shiimun Immun.
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