Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here (and on any internet type of internet chat forum, actually) but I don’t know where else to turn at this point. I’ve read a lot of other threads about FIP on here and they’ve been very helpful in guiding me towards the right decision for my baby, Cue, who is only 6 months old. Today is my 24th birthday and I’ve made the extremely difficult decision to put him down this afternoon.

I first noticed Cue eating less and playing less with his brother two weeks ago. I took him to the vet and his physical checked out, but he had a fever. They gave him fluids, did blood work that came back with toxic neutrophils, and put him on Clavamox and waited. 5 days later I could tell things still weren’t right—he was constipated and still barely eating or moving— so I brought him back to the vet. His fever had climbed. They did X Rays and saw a little fluid building up. We did an ultrasound to see if there might be a foreign body somewhere in his intestines. He was given a stronger, long acting antibiotic to try to break the fever, more fluids, and a lubricant type medicine in case there was something he needed to pass, along with anti nausea to stimulate his appetite. We re ran his blood test and in addition to the neutrophils he was now anemic. Two days later I returned because nothing had improved. and his fever was still high, more fluids had accumulated. We opened him up—I spent everything I have and used care credit to afford the rest—hoping we might find a foreign body. But no luck. The vet said his intestines were very inflamed, with plaque buildups throughout and enlarged lymph nodes. He took a sample of the fluids and a tissue biopsy to send for FIP results.

That was on Monday. It is now Wednesday and things have only deteriorated. I have not gotten the FIP test results back yet, but whether or not it comes back positive, we still wouldn’t know what is causing him to be so ill, and we still wouldn’t be able to fix it. I could spend more money and put him through more stress to test further, and keep him alive and suffering through all this, but it just doesn’t seem fair. He is so miserable, he lays in the same spot and doesn’t move or eat. He can walk to the litter box but that’s the only time he moves. He drinks water but still doesn’t eat, and when I got home from work last night I had a feeling it was time. I just can’t bear to see him suffer anymore.

Am I making the right decision? Is there something we may have missed? Everything I’ve read has said to consider his quality of life. I feel like I’ve tried everything I could and I cannot save him—it feels like no matter whay the results say, he will not come back from the place he is in, he is dying anyway. He is my first pet of my own and we have only had 3 months together. It seems the kindest thing is to let him go.

I don’t want to jump to conclusions about FIP—I know that’s easy to do—but I think his chances of surviving are slim either way. I will miss him so much. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Cue’s mom (Maddie)

I'm sorry your first visit is under such sad circumstances. Unfortunately there is no positive FIP test, but he does sound incredibly poorly. I'd ask the vet what they would do if it was their cat. Good luck

Also, complicating all this is the fact that I don’t really trust the vet who is treating him. His regular vet was not available at the office we go to when i took him in for an emergency, so we’ve been stuck with the one who initially looked him over (same practice, different vet, and the practice owner performed the surgery). She is not super empathetic and my partner had to call her angry to convince her that Cue needed to be brought back in after the clavamox didn’t work. We feel like we’ve had to push harder than we should to advocate for cue. She did not seem that concerned (and it turns out we were right, it is bad). It makes it hard not to question everything she has said—but the facts of his illness are right in front of me. I would get a second opinion but at this point, it seems like a lot to put him through.

Thought I should add that.

Thanks for your reply, booktigger.

Hmm, that's a shame

Welcome to the forum and I am so sorry it is under such circumstances.

A few years ago I had never heard of FIP, now I seem to have heard it mentioned quite a bit, and nothing good about it, unfortunately what i have heard is that Cue is the right age for it.

In the end it sounds like your little lad is extremely ill and they can't find out why. You mention that they have already done exploratory surgery and that hasn't come up with anything, the antibiotics don't seem to be working and it sounds like there might be a problem in the lymph nodes and the bone marrow. From your description of him it does sound like he is losing the interest in living as well.

The only advise I can really give is see if you can have a word with his normal vet, even if it is only by phone, and ask them what they think, and whether it is fair to keep poor Cue going while you wait for the FIP test results to come back and find out how long it is likely to be, if they are expected back tomorrow that is one thing, if it is going to be another week or more then that adds a different angle to the picture.

Unfortunately your description doesn't give me a lot of hope for him pulling through, but you need to know that you have done everything you reasonably could for him in the time available, even if in the end the best option is to give him a peaceful end.

Hugs to you, and a gentle fuss to Cue.

I lost a 5 month old kitten to FIP - almost every part of his body was affected by the end - he was referred to a top veterinary hospital who gave him a blood transfusion, which helped for 24 hours, but he soon went downhill again

it was clear that he was not going to get better, and the decision to end his life was really the only one to make

I feel so much for you, but I know you will do your best by your boy

Hello cuesmom really feel for you at this time. Also not having an empathetic vet doesn’t help. I agree with Ruth re speaking to Cue’s normal vet. Fusses to Cue. Vivian

I too would phone the vet practice and ask to discuss Clue with your usual vet, but it does sound as if your decision is the right one. If it is time to let him go I think you have every right to insist that it is done by someone you find to be kind and sympathetic, which is another reason to talk to your own vet.

I am so sorry. It is a horrible disease.

Nothing to add except...I'm so sorry xx

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear this. Losing a cat of any age is heartbreaking, but the prospect of losing such a young and fragile cat is doubly so. I'm sorry too about your current vet not being helpful; vet support counts for a lot at these times.

Whatever happens you've clearly done your best x

Thanks so much for your replies. I’m sorry for the delay— I was afraid to return to this forum after we put Cue down and read your responses, fearing that I would question my decision. It took me a few days to come back. On the contrary, everyone has made me feel reassured and I’m very grateful you took the time to offer support.

When we got to the vet’s office, it became more clear how many people had been involved in trying to save him and restored some of my faith. The vet techs sent us photos they had taken of cue during his surgery and told us that everyone held him and was rooting for him. Though I stand by the frustration of having to push to bring cue back in when the antibiotics weren’t working, I think this vet just has a harder time with confrontation than some, and our anger had an element of denial. She was empathetic and tearful at the euthanization and made us aware of all our options before going through with it. She also explained a little more about the granulomatous plaques they saw all over his abdomenal organs & inflammation in his intestines, which made her more confident that FIP was the culprit, and told us this was not the outcome she wanted.

Thanks again for writing back, I know he is at peace now and that is all that matters. I got to enjoy the rest of my birthday knowing that and celebrating his life. And I get all the birthdays to come with his memory.

I am glad you were able to let him go peacefully, and that you had such a sympathetic response from the vet. I hope the good memories and knowing you did all you could for him bring you comfort.

I'm sorry there wasn't a better outcome for little Cue, but I'm glad you sorted things out with the vets and feel that the diagnosis was right. It must be one of the hardest jobs a vet has to do, tell an owner that their beloved pet has a terminal illness, no amount of training can ever truly teach them to do that.

As you know, Cue is at peace now, and his life, while sort, was a lifetime of happy days, being warm and loved.

You mention that this has happened close to your birthday, have you considered finding a photo of him when he was happy and well and make a birthday card out of it, something you can keep and get out each year to remind you of the happy times and hopefully soften the sadness of the anniversary of his passing.

I'm sorry that you had to let him go, but glad that you had such a good response when you went back to the vet -obviously having to PTS is not an element of their job they like, they want to be able to save everything. I'm glad you feel the decision was the best for him, Ruth's idea of the card is a good one.

I’m so sorry about Cue. I have a cat that just turned 7 months old. We thought he had an upper respiratory infection. We took him to the vet and she drained almost 100 cc of his lungs, put him on an antibiotic and steroids. She called us the next day and said he has Wet FIP and that the fluid would re-accumulate and we would have to put him down. Does anyone know how long it will take for the fluid to come back?

I'm so sorry - FIP is the most horrible disease, and there is no cure

my 5 month old Boysie deteriorated day by day over 4 weeks, until all his organs were failing - I knew nothing about FIP back then (2001) or I would have let him go much sooner

you are not facing putting him down - you are going to make sure he doesn't suffer

I'm sorry to hear this, I wouldn't wait- like Kay, I knew nothing about FIP when my cat was diagnosed, but if I did, I too would have let her go sooner, you are saving them from suffering, especially if it's building up around the lungs

Thanks again, I will give the birthday card idea a try. Today is his 7 month birthday

Kmmcdaniel - I’m so sorry you’re going through this and I feel for you. From what I’ve read about wet FIP and from what other more experienced folks have said here, it seems like the condition intensifies pretty quickly. Keep us posted and know that if it does come to saying goodbye, you will be making a kind decision. Sending healing energy in your baby’s direction.

I’m sorry about all the other babies you all have lost to this disease too

I’m so very sorry, I just lost my beloved 5 month old cat Oliver 3 days ago. I’m really struggling with it because he started having fast breathing and he was very lethargic. I knew something was wrong so I brought him to a emergency vet that evening. I had him since he was about 4 weeks of age. I rescued him out of a feral cat colony. He never was quite healthy, he had constant diarrhea and he tested positive for corona virus. He never seemed to gain weight. I tried everything including prescription food to help with the diarrhea. I had hoped he would improve as time went on. When the difficulty breathing started I knew something was really wrong. I brought him in and they said he had fluid on his lungs and she thought his heart was enlarged. She diagnosed him with congestive heart failure. I thought how can this be? He’s only 5 months old! I asked her about the FIP because I did some research back when he was diagnosed with the corona virus and knew it could mutate into it. She said the only way would be a necropsy to fully know. Either way she said he wouldn’t make it to his first birthday. It broke my heart infact I cry writing this. She gave him lasix and put him in a oxygen tank. She asked if I wanted to see him after I signed the papers to have him put to sleep. That’s the worst part he was acting much better. Which I still battle with because some how I question myself if I made the right choice. She explained that it was only temporary and he would only decline again. So I feel your heartache and anyone’s that has to go through losing a cat to this.