Ever since my cat Luna was cured of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), I have been eternally thankful every single day for the time my husband and I have been given with our sweet angel baby. However, there are a lot of emotions (not all positive) that come with fighting this fatal disease that I carry with me to this day. I’d like to share with you what life looks like after FIP treatment for myself, my husband, and my FIP warrior Luna.
Note: I am not a medical professional, and this article is not to be taken as medical or veterinary advice. Always contact a veterinarian regarding concerns about your pet’s health or behavior. Additionally, Caitycat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
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How FIP Changed Our Lives Forever
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) went from being a disease I didn’t even know existed to the worst possible thing that could happen to my little Luna.
When Luna was first diagnosed with FIP at 5 months old, my husband and I were absolutely devastated. We went from thinking that she just had a persistent cold that needed heavier antibiotics to trying to figure out when it was time to say goodbye to our first kitten. We both knew that Luna was our soul kitty as soon as we laid eyes on her in the pet store, so hearing that she had a disease that was virtually 100% fatal with no cure was hands down the worst news we’ve ever received.
If you’re reading this, you may or may not be familiar with the extremely fast progression of FIP, which is essentially a disease that arises as a result of a mutation of the very common feline coronavirus (FCoV). It can present in a wet (effusive) or dry (non-effusive) form, and sadly our Luna had a combination of the two and was not given very long to live.
Fortunately for us, we were able to get our hands on an antiviral medication that had been showing promise in clinical trials for curing cats with FIP. It required 84 days of treatment and 84 days of observation (those observation days were SO anxiety-inducing).
Emotions That Have Surfaced After FIP Treatment
Now that Luna has conquered FIP and is a happy, healthy 6-year-old cat, I want to share the many emotions that come with having an FIP warrior kitty and what life looks like post-treatment.
Gratitude
When I tell you that not a day goes by when I don’t remember the horror we went through with Luna when she was a kitten, I am not exaggerating. I wake up every single morning and kiss Luna so hard on the forehead and give her tons of snuggles because I am so grateful that she is still here with us. Anyone who has a cat that has come out on the other side of FIP treatment probably knows this feeling all too well.
I never thought Luna would make it past 5 months old, so every birthday that we celebrate and every day we spend with her is a gift that I don’t take for granted.
Fear
While gratitude fills my heart every single day, so does fear. Healing emotionally from this experience has been an uphill battle. Every little sneeze, every time she eats a little bit less than usual, and every slightly-off behavior throws me into a spiral thinking that Luna may be sick again.
The thing is, while the FIP antiviral treatment is extremely successful in a high number of cats, it is still very new. The cats that have been put into remission with the medication are only at most a few years out from treatment. Therefore, there isn’t a lot of long-term data available to see if the disease had any lasting effects that could impact the lifespan of the cats.
There have been studies done, such as this one from the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, that studied cats 1 year out from treatment and showed that cats are still in remission and healthy. This is great news, of course, but there are always unknowns when it comes to new treatments. Until we have confirmed cases of cats living their full lifespan after FIP treatment, I will always have some fear.
Hope
Another huge emotion that I feel on a day-to-day basis is hope. I have so much hope for cats all over the world that now have a fighting chance against a once fatal disease. I am continuously amazed by the treatments that surface in the medical community that allow people to have more time with the ones they love (including our furry family members).
How Luna Is Doing Post-Treatment for FIP
Today, Luna is the happiest and sassiest kitty on this planet. You would never know that she went through such an ordeal when she was younger. She still plays like she’s a kitten, she has a hearty appetite, she snuggles with us on a daily basis, and she is making strides with getting along with her bestie Hazel.
As far as vet visits go post-treatment, they are few and far between. We take her for routine booster vaccinations, but apart from that, she infrequently visits the vet. Luna very clearly has some trauma from what she went through as a kitten, so vet offices are not her favorite place. She has to be medicated very heavily (at a safe, vet-approved dose, of course) just to somewhat tolerate the visit. Even then, she scares our vet (LOL).
Overall, Luna is doing fantastic post-treatment. She is the light of our lives, and I truly hope we are the light of hers. I want every single day that she spends on this planet with us to be the best day of her life. She is our little FIP warrior.
Did you find this article helpful? Let me know in the comments!
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Love reading this … Luna sure is a lucky kitty to have a mom and dad like you two ❤️💙
Awww I’m so glad you liked reading it. Thank you 🩷🩷🩷
Luna is a fortunate cat to have a family who loves her so much that she can get through her difficult days. By the way, my husband and I also have a cat who has had epilepsy since my husband found him on the side of the road five years ago. My heart breaks every time he starts having a seizure. We took him to the vet, who gave him an acupuncture treatment. Thank God, he is still with us till now.
Hi Yufi,
Thank you so much for saying that. I truly try to do anything and everything possible to give Luna a great life with the time she’s been granted with us. I am so sorry to hear about your kitty with epilepsy. That has to be so heartbreaking to see. It sounds like he is getting the best treatment possible and has the best cat parents to care for him. <3
You do a great job taking care of her!
Thank you so much, Emily. We try to make every day special for her. 🙂
I’m just songlad to hear that Luna beat FIP! We would be utterly devastated to lose one of our kittens 😭
Thank you so much, Thomas. We are so thankful every single day. Our kitties are part of our family. 🩷
I’m glad your kitty recovered! I know the horror you felt – we almost just lost our beloved cat. The vet had no idea what wrong with him. At first they thought FIP, FIV, etc., but kept saying it was a “temperature of unknown origin”. Well, after they got his temperature down, and sent him home twice, it happened again with a temperature rising above 106. We had to rush our cat over an hour and a half away to an animal hospital where they were competent and discovered right away that his abdomen was sensitive. It turns out he had an obstruction in his intestines. They were finally able to help him pass the obstruction without surgery. Our family is so thankful our cat survived!
Oh my goodness! What a scary situation that must have been. I’m so, so happy to hear that your kitty made it through and is still with you. It’s always terrifying when the vets can’t immediately figure out what’s wrong with our fur babies.