Feline Infectious Peritonitis

[HowieDawn]

Lucy is dying :( she is my baby. She has FIP. Does anyone know anything about it. I have searched the internet sites and have found out a lot about it...but I have no clue where she got it from. She is an indoors kitty.

Symptoms:
Vomiting
not eating
loss of weight
muscle spasms

i wish that something could be done to save her but we are going to have to put her to sleep. she was our first kitty and our baby.

[zippy-kat]

I'm so sorry about your baby! :(

My prayers are with your precious kitty and of course your family!

[4 feline house]

HowieDawn, I was so excited to see your long lost name on the boards again, then so crushed to hear why. I lost a sweet little kitty to this disease many years ago, and still I choke up to think of him. He never even saw his first birthday. He probably contracted it congenitally. Coronaviruses are quite common, and it is now thought they can live up to 5 to 7 weeks on surfaces. It is often transmitted through the feces. In other words, you may have stepped in some cat poo outside, maybe even such a small amount you didn't notice, then walked it into the house where Lucy then came in contact and ingested it. It's not the most common means of transmission, but neither is it impossible.

I'm so sorry to hear about poor Lucy and her humans that love her so much and are hurting so bad.

[HowieDawn]

Thank you for missing me.

Lucy is one of three cats in our house. I am concerned about the other cats getting this.

I did go to the vet and did the blood work and he even did an x-ray of her abdomin. He said that it is inflamed and it is making the fluid. He gave us some medication... but is basically telling us the best thing to do is to put her to sleep. It would be nice if she turned out like spencer....nothing wrong..... I don't know where this will lead us. It's hard to put her to sleep, but we don't want her to suffer. She has had this for a week today (Saturday)

My husband is waiting for her to bounce back to her old self. I don't think it is going to happen. My husband is all tore up about it. He sat out with her on the porch last night for four hours. Everytime she heard a bird...her eyes would brighten up. She wanted to chase the butterflies so bad. He finally put her down in the grass. She wanted to run and play so bad, but all she could do was just get a foot or two and then she would fall down from being weak.

What do you think about her being put to sleep. I never thought that I would have a problem with it. But I do. I just keep waiting for that miracle of her bouncing back. I think she would be ok if she could eat...but she won't. Last night was the first night she has gone without throwing up the water she is drinking.

Thank you so much for reading my long post. I really appreciate all of your comments.

[Gio]

I'm terribly sorry to hear about Lucy. Please let us know if there are any developments, in the meantime Lucy, your husband and you will be in my thoughts.

[HowieDawn]

We are on an emotional roller coaster. Lucy is so much better now. She was walking on the tops of her feet and could only get a couple of inches. Now she is walking all the way across the house. She is even jumping up on the couch. I am so confused. I don't want to get my hopes up, but she is so much better. She still refuses to eat. She is getting plenty of water, so I know that she isn't dehydrating. I went out and bought some baby food and have been feeding that to her. I know it sounds dumb, but that's the only thing I can think of. I have to put it on her mouth and then she licks it off. I think I might go and buy some Pedialite. (sp?)

I tried to seperate the cats. But all three of them cried and howled. Molly and Gina are confused. They don't understand what is going on. They have been sniffing Lucy like she is an outsider.

Lucy is starting to get her spirit back. She always has been "Grumpy" with the other two cats. I was holding her this morning feeding her...Molly tried to jump on my lap and Lucy hissed at her. A few days ago, Lucy wasn't making any kinds of noise at all...she is my most vocal cat.

The blood test showed that she has the FIP. Everything that was supposed to be low was high and everything that was high was supposed to be low. Do you think that there is anyway that she can not have this? Honestly? She isn't throwing up as much anymore. And is drinking a heck of a lot more water. She only threw up once yesterday. Before it was everytime she moved.

I am so confused :confused:

[4 feline house]

HowieDawn, only you and your vet can make the decision as to when to say goodbye. But I'm sure you know that. You may be looking for some advice from an "impartial" observer. Two things I can say from my distant position - she will not overcome this in the long run, even if she has her occasional good days, and if she is constantly vomiting, it may be time already. Not only is the nausea miserable, but if she can't keep anyting, even water, down, then she is literally starving and thirsting, which is also extremely uncomfortable (any of us diabetics on the board who have been through a bout of DKA can tell you the agony of extreme dehydration). Furthermore, the starvation and thirst are throwing off her chemistries, making her feel even sicker.

Having said that, the baby food is a wonderful idea, and it may nourish her enough that she gets a few more good days or weeks so y'all can better prepare for saying goodbye.

You don't mention if Lucy has the swollen abdomen that is common with FIP. Sleeper was okay as long as his belly was aspirated, but it got to where he was going in every day to have that needle stuck in his stomach. The night he came crawling into the living room because his belly was so swollen that his crippled legs wouldn't hold it up, I decided it was time. As has been said on this board before, it was the hardest, yet easiest, decision I've ever had to make. Hard because no one can say goodbye to a friend so dearly beloved, easy because no one can allow such suffering to a friend so dearly beloved.

I'm praying for Lucy and her mommy and daddy her love her so much.

[Mickey4Paws]

Originally posted by HowieDawn:
<STRONG> The blood test showed that she has the FIP. Everything that was supposed to be low was high and everything that was high was supposed to be low. Do you think that there is anyway that she can not have this? Honestly? She isn't throwing up as much anymore. And is drinking a heck of a lot more water. She only threw up once yesterday. Before it was everytime she moved.

I am so confused :confused:</STRONG>

I am very sorry to hear about your kitty. Have you thought about getting a second opinion? It might put your mind at rest and hopefully another vet might have a different take on what's going on with your kitty.

Best of luck. I will keep you and your kitty in my prayers.

[auggie]

Howie Dawn,
I'm so sorry to hear about Lucy. I do hope you can get a second opinion. PLease keep us posted. Our Thoughts and prayers are with you.

[HowieDawn]

Thank you for all of your posts. Miss Lucy Lou has gone on to Rainbow Bridge. We had her put to sleep yesterday. She had been getting better everyday and then on Wednesday night, she took a turn for the worst. She stayed up crying all night and we new that her time was up. We ended her pain on Thursday morning. We couldn't let her go through getting better, getting worse, getting better. It would be too much for her.

We found a special spot under an oak tree to burry her.

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

[TheAntiPam]

I'm so sorry to hear of Lucy's struggles. Many of us PetTalk folks know about the pain of deciding to have a beloved fur friend put down. If you want to talk about Lucy or about her illness, you are always welcome to post here.

If you find yourself second guessing your decision, don't be too hard on yourself. Those days of ups and downs with Lucy will be with you for awhile, and you will miss her for a long, long time.

Our pets are small miracles in our lives, bringing love and caring and sweetness and humor to us each day. Thank you, Lucy, for being such a good friend.

[thelmalu99]

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I only just saw this post!
I am SO sorry to hear about your sweet Lucy. I know that putting her down was probably the most difficult thing you have ever had to do. I know this because I had to do the same thing on July 19. My Charlie had Feline Leukemia and took a sudden turn for the worse. Like Lucy, he would lose his appetite and seem sad (for lack of a better word) for a few days, but then he would bounce right back. Once, after taking some antibiotics, he even put on a little bit of weight and I was so hopeful that the vet had been wrong about the FeLV. Well, he took a turn for the worst so suddenly that I was in complete despair. I could tell, however, that he was in a lot of pain and I just couldn't see letting my baby suffer.
Please remember: you made the right decision for Lucy.
It hurts. It's horrible. I'm crying right now just writing about it, but it's imprtant to know that when you love someone, you never want to see them suffer and you have to know when to say goodbye.

You and Lucy are in my prayers. Please know that we are all here for you.

[ September 07, 2001: Message edited by: thelmalu99 ]

[cr7clark]

Please accept my condolences on the loss of your sweet Lucy Lou :( I had to have my Abby put down just this past June, so I know how hard it is to say goodbye to a beloved cat. In Abby's case I think the decision was a bit harder....she wasn't in acute pain like Lucy was, but she had bladder stones and diarrhea and the vet had done all he could for her.
I still wonder if the decision I made was the right one.....I think this is something all pet owners go through. Your emotions tell you one thing but your intellect says another. In this case, go with your intellect...you made the right decision about Lucy.

[wolflady]

My condolences for to you for the loss of Lucy. I know it must have been a hard decision, but the right one. **hugs** to you and everyone who has lost a beloved fur baby.

[AmberLee]

{{{HowieDawn and Miss Lucy Lou}}},

Holding you in our thoughts and prayers.

[zippy-kat]

I can only echo the others' sentiments. I am so sorry but it was best for Lucy. She is no longer in any pain.

{hugs}

You are in my prayers.

[4 feline house]

Howiedawn,

No matter how much in your heart and your head you know you did the right thing, you are still hurting. It may even seem overwhelming right now, but it will get better. Little Lucy will love you even more, as she frolics at the rainbow bridge waiting for you, thankful that you let her go at exactly the right time.

Y'all are in my prayers.

[HowieDawn]

Thanks so much for all of your kind thoughts. Everyone is always so nice here, at Pet Talk. It is kind of like family.

[tatsxxx11]

Dear Howiedawn...Oh I am so very sorry to have missed your post sooner. I can only say how sorry I am for you, losing your beautiful Lucy girl. I had only recently read a lengthy article in ASPCA quarterly about FIP. Perhaps later I will post it a bit later so everyone can learn more about this devastating, very hard to diagnose illness.

I know that now all you can feel is the loss of your baby. My heart goes out to you. My eyes cry for you. I am so, so sorry. Lucy sounds like she was a very special girl. And you, a very special mom. Please know we are keeping you in our thoughts and in our hearts. Love, Sandra, Cody, Star, Mr. B and Oliver.

[Gio]

I only read your post today. I'm so sorry about Lucy. You're all in my thoughts

[Ila]

So sorry to here about Lucy. Loosing a pet is tramatic I know I had lost one 5 years ago, Samantha she was 131/2 years old. We had to put her to sleep to. It was the hardest thing for my husband & I to ever do. Our hearts go out to you and Lucy.

[Logan]

HowieDawn,
I have been negligent also, not reading an update on this post until now.
I am so sorry for your pain and grief. I know Lucy will live on in your heart, but you are grieving for having to make such a hard decision. If we didn't love them so much, it wouldn't hurt so bad. :(
My prayers are with you. Just love on those other babies. May each day get a little easier for you.

Logan