new to the group-feline with serious illness

Hello and thank you for allowing access to this group. After a period of 10 days worth of testing and analysis of 1 of my 6 feline children, I have a specialist telling me his condition is "highly suggestive" of having FIP. He already has been diagnosed with FELV having a positive result 10 days ago. My 9 year old blonde tabby male "Samauri Warrior" went to the vet 10 days ago for a followup exam for a cronic issue with eyes tearing due to nasal passage congestion and it evolved into chest xrays/bloodwork/radiographs/ultasounds/discovery of fluid buildup in the right side of his chest/aspiration/fluid testing via PCR test and it looks like a bad prognosis is coming today. The bloodwork was fine with the exception of a very low lymphocyte count. If it were not for the initial xray taken I would never have known he was sick to begin with, per se. He eats, drinks, sleeps and acts normally. His respiration has been normal throughout this ordeal. Based on all the testing the specialists have ruled out cancer of any type, all organs are fine and working, it's that staw colored fluid buildup combined with the FELV positive result that is leading them to the FIP. I have researched this to the point of exhaustion and am trying to see if it could be anything other than FIP. The specialists have ruled out pleuresy, and chylothorax because of the straw like color of the fluid. They say this color is definitely associated with FIP. The other conditions that would make fluid build up have milky white colors. In analyzing what meds he would be given to slow the wet FIp fluid buildup, I am seeinga contradiction in care with FELV being a complicating factor because we have to keep his immune system as strong as possible yet the FIP meds speak of immune supression drugs to slow the reaction of fluid buildup and the FIP down. So how is this reconciled for proper treatment? Sorry for such a long post. It seems no one that I know wants to talk about it. Everyone knows I will leave no stone unturned whenever any of my feline children are sick.

Thanks for listening and love to all our pets and petlovers!

Steven
Long Island, New York

I am so sorry to read that your cat is so ill. :( I'm sure others on the board may but I'm sorry I do not have any knowledge to offer.

Sending prayers and healing thoughts for your kitty.

You and Sumauri Warrior have been dealt a devastating double blow. I have had cats with both conditions, but never both together.

I am surprised a cat that has been diagnosed with possible FIP (and don't we all hate the fact that there can be no definitive diagnosis) and showing signs of fluid build-up around the lungs is acting normally in every other way. By the time Fiorella showed signs of serious illness, she was in a state of general decline although she did live for months, living fairly normally, because she had the dry version. Her brother and sister had the wet version and they went downhill very rapidly indeed. Has Sumauri Warrior been diagnosed with wet or dry version? It's fluid in the abdomen, I believe, and as you will know from all your research, that indicates the wet version.

The only treatment my Fiorella received was general supportive care, and her brother and sister had already been adopted by the time they became ill so I don't know what was tried in their cases.

I found with my FeLV+ cat, Seshat, that her psychological well-being had a huge impact on her health. She lived with the virus (was born with it) for 7 years. What I'm saying here is that perhaps you can try the immune suppressive drug as long as S. Warrior is with you almost the whole time and content. Time spent in a cage at the vet can cause a cat with FeLV to lurch into full blown leukemia very suddenly. A cat can live with FeLV for years, but even the dry kind of FIP will usually take them faster, so you may want to target the worst condition.

Enjoy Sumauri Warrior for as long as you can, but be ready to act very quickly when he goes downhill from either disorder. As you know, cats can act normal even while they are really sick, so when you see a change in his condition you will know that you have to act very fast. And, be prepared to let him go. My Fiorella started to show neurological signs in her back end one evening, slid off the bed in the night and, when I found her underneath, had obviously gone blind which distressed her a great deal. The next morning she was euthanized even though she was still eating and enjoying attention. I just didn't want her to go through the later stages.

And, all this, of course, is simply one opinion. But sometimes other people's opinions can help you formulate a plan, can help to sort things out in your mind.

Post a picture of your warrior if you can. I'm sure everyone here would like to meet him.

Welcome, we are so sorry too hear this. The best we can offer is our prays.