Conference misery::feline_v1

    FIP is a corona virus, and there are many corona viruses, so when
    the vet does the test, he is only finding out if she has been exposed
    to corona viruses, not just the FIP virus.  Some of the corona viruses
    are not harmful, so don't panic right now.
    
    Corona viruses are like other viruses, then can be in the air. 
    
    The test will come back with a titer number.  By itself, the number
    doesn't tell you much.  It only shows the extent of antibodies that
    the cats body has to corona viruses.  The test is difficult to 
    interpret.
    
    Right now, I would wait and not panic.  We don't have enough
    information yet to really know what to tell you.
    
    FIP is a scarey disease since many vets don't know anything about
    it.  Lots of other noters have lived through this and can help you.
    
    At this point, I would say not to worry since many vets, when
    confronted with an unexplained high fever, will automatically test
    for leukemia and FIP.  Most cases it turns out to be something simpler,
    like she is just vulnerable after the spay and caught a cold or
    cat flu.
    
    Jo

    All I can add is, don't worry yet.
    
    My cat was the subject of #2727. After all the worry and expense,
    ol' Momcat is fine and back to "normal," which for her means
    approximately 5 bowls of food a day, plus 'snacks.' A "glowing" 16
    pounds. We nick-named her "Big Beef" some time ago. 
    
    FUOs are very scary. I hope yours is feeling better soon!
    
    
    Ken
    

    Well, unfortunately, my mother-in-law got the results back last
    night, and Samantha has FIPs - her titre is 512.  The vet said he
    is encouraged because it isn't too high, and that she tested negative
    to the Feline Lek., and the rest of her blood work was good.  They
    will treat her with cortisone and she should go into remission,
    hopefully for a few years.  The vet says he has seen this a lot
    in the persian breed, which I think is weird/interesting.
    
    The thing is that whatever pill they are already giving her made
    her foam profusely at the mouth - it freaked my mother-in-law out.
    The vet said that the cat got the bitter taste of the pill & just
    kept salivating.  
                                                             
    I told my mother-in-law about this notes file, and she was hoping
    if someone else had this experience they could give us an idea as
    to how long the remission might last, what to expect, etc.
    
    Thanks for the responses.

    I wouldn't worry.  Remember what Jo said in .1, the Titer test will
    show exposure to any corona virus.  That means, that it could be
    something besides FIP, like possibly a reaction to a booster shot, or
    another one of the corona viruses.  A 1:512 titer isn't terribly high,
    and I would expect that it may go back down to normal once she fights
    off whatever it is that she has.  
    
    Does your vet say she's showing any other "clinical" signs of FIP, such
    as extreme congestion or a bloated belly????
    
    cin
    

    re: .3
    
    Holly took an antibiotic pill once that had her drooling an
    unbelievable amount.  The vet was able to substitute another
    kind.
    

 My cat and kitten were both recently on medication for a parasite in the 
 stool.  The kitten was fairly easy to give the pill to but my big cat was
 a beast!  She usually ended up chewing on the pill in an attempt to spit
 it out, and becasue it was so bitter tasting she would salivate excessively,
 which would lead to foaming at the mouth.  Picture a human chasing a cat
 down the hallway, napkin in hand to wipe her face, with foam flying everywhere!
 I think my neighbors thought that I had a rabid cat!

    The drug Tribrisserin will make the cats salivate heavily, but so
    will just about any bitter tasting pill.
    
    I don't think that a titer of 1:512 is very high.  What really matters
    is if there are any other clinical signs.  The titer itself only
    tells you that she has been exposed to a coronavirus, and is waging
    an immune response.  It doesn't tell you that she has been exposed
    specifically to FIP.
    
    At this point, I would disagree with an FIP diagnosis that was based
    solely on the titer.
    
    Jo

    The issue of CATS that just came in last night had a good article
    about FIP.
    
    Deb