Coping With Feline Infectious Peritonitis

When we adopted 3 month old brothers Teddy and Phineuas, we opened our hearts and home to love again a year and a half after our 14 year old cat Jessie died. Five months later, I received a phone call from the adoption center advising me that a litter mate had died of FIP I’d never heard of it and Teddy and Phinny were as frisky as ever. Then, two months later, disaster struck. Phinny’s stomache was extended, his weight down… diagnosis: probable FIP. (Only a tissue sample can definatively diagnose the disease, but the fluid from his stomache was a strong give away that he had FIP )

A week later, Phinny was gone. We were able to keep him at home until the end and he died peacefully during the night surrounded by love. It was hard to know there was nothing which could be done for Phinny, and I keep a wary eye on Teddy. But we take solace in knowing that we gave Phinny a wonderful kittenhood for the seven months we had him. We had expected another 14 years of love and devotion.. but that was not to be. For anyone whose cat has FIP, our thoughts and prayers are with you.