[livingwith]

Last night was the worst night of our lives Sept 2 2007. We took our kitten in this week to get spayed only to find out that the vet discovered fluid in her abdomen 4 nights later we had to put her to sleep. This FIP is very serious and really sad what it does to the kitten our kitten was fine and showed no signs until yesterday when she started running a fever, did not want to get out of bed and just wanted to lay in our laps and not move. The really bad thing is M.J. had a best friend our othe...Read the full article

[So Sad]

I am so sorry for your loss
Like you I am going through this nightmare right now. In February I took in a little homeless kitten from the bitter cold ,I called her Sophie , she couldn't have been more than 6 months , it took a while for her to trust me so I didn't have immediate daily contact with her , but one month later to my surprise she gave birth to 2 little girls in the rafters of my basememt. It took a few weeks to rescue them down but I made a safe corner in the bedroom closet and the kittens and mommy were fine. Sophie was secure and happy and she trusted me with her and her babies . It was the beginning of a wonderful time for all of us including my other kitties. The kittens who we called Hugs and Kisses were so full of energy and bundles of love. I loved watching them play and run and then cuddle beside me in the chair or bed. All was well until Last Saturday when Kisses didn't run to greet me in the morning , she didn't come running up the side of my leg for breakfast not even for her favourite Pablum. I went to find her and she was laying in her little bed looking rather sad. I picked her up and brought her to the kitchen not knowing what was wrong but she didn't have any interest in her food and went back to her bed. I noticed she had a fever so I had antibiotics in the house and began treating her fever until I could get her to the vet which was now closed for the weekend. I finally got her in and they ran some tests that were negative but suspected that the one disease they didn't have a test for she may have, FIP . I am devastated I have lost one other older kitty years ago from this disease and I knew it was fatal. Kisses has fluid in her abdomen which I had drained yesterday to keep her comfortable until the fluid results come back from the lab on Monday. Kisses had a fever but it broke on Wednesday and she hasn't had one since. She doesn't have any vomitting or diarreaha and she has a good appetite so far, she hasn't lost any weight , she is still 5 lbs of love . She gets up in the morning with me and runs down stairs for her breakfast but runs out of steam pretty quick. The part that makes this even more sad is her little sister Hugs who continually tries to bathe her and give her kisses , she tried to play with her but realizes that Kisses can't play so she isn't aggressively trying like she did at first not understanding why her playmate wouldn't play with her anymore . I am heartbroken for Kisses and Hugs as well as mommy Sophie. I won't let her suffer but I have to be sure ,I have to exhaust every test so I know that everything was looked at. I haven't slept all week and I cry all the time. I can't bear the thought of not seeing her little face anymore,or hear her cute little sounds that she makes . I have lost many kitties over the years but most lived long and happy lives , I just lost my 20 year old Bri in Nov and her sister Nisa the prior Sept but its different, although still heartbreaking they lived long happy lives with nothing more than the occassional cold , but to lose a 6 month old baby kitten its hard to handle. Its never easy losing a pet , they become a part of you a part of your family. Not everyone understands this , but for the people that do its devastating and heartbreaking. I have still a long road ahead the vet thinks Hugs being a litter mate has a chance of succumbing to the same fate ,as well as Sophie, the other kitties are also at risk and by the time I knew Kisses was ill the rest have already been exposed. Its hard getting up somedays , my happy loving playful household has changed and I don't know how much it will yet. I wish I could wake up from this nightmare and go back to last Friday when all was well and happy.

[Markimus]

How very very sad.I hope it does not spread to your other kitties. I don't know the odds but hopefully it is rare for it to spread within a household. I'm also worried that a new kitten may have FIP and could have infected my other cats. I hope and pray no one has it.... but we don't know yet. What does fluid in the abdomen look like? My kitten has a saggy belly, but I'm just not sure if that's something bad like fluid.

[So Sad]

Good Morning
The fluid will give your kitten the appearance of a pot belly although there are other conditions that also give that appearance such as worms , if your kitten is has been spayed or neutered they can also have the appearance of a saggy belly though. I am no expert but if your kitten is showing symptoms of this take her to the vet immediately to be checked. I hadn't even noticed the change in my kitten's tummy it wasn't very noticeable . I did notice her appearance changed ,she was running a fever and she slept when she never had and this all happened in one day which took me running with her to the vet . Its very scarey , sad , and devastating . I hope and pray that your kitten doesn't have FIP . Take her right away I can't stress this enough , its better to be safe and know what your dealing with. I am taking one day at a time and its very hard right now, I am checking all my kitties for fever and checking their tummys for fluid , I'm sure they are getting annoyed with me but I am panicking inside.
I hope that your kitten is ok but please take her in immediately its a devastating disease which doesn't give you any time to think about it. Best of Luck to you and your little one. (hugs)