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Fip in cattery

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 2:50 pm
by Havehope
I need some help and have no idea where to start. I've been breeding cats for 7 years with no issues. Suddenly, out of the complete blue I had a buyer contact me a couple of weeks ago saying their kitten had an enlarged liver and fluid in their lungs and it appeared to be FIP. I was stunned as I'd never had this in my cattery and very upset and confused. I didn't know much about FIP at all but this buyer took her kitten everywhere with her, to work at the vet's, on playdates, stores, outside, etc and I must admit I honestly thought this was her fault and a fluke as I'd never had a case in my cattery so I shrugged it off thinking it was her fault and told her to please keep in contact while she waited for a final diagnosis. Then another week later another buyer contacted me, same sire, different mom. Their baby had fip. I was devastated. I knew the first buyer's kitten had caught it from my cattery but I had no idea how and still don't. Two different mothers, same sire. Born around the same time, mothers nursed each other's kittens and raised together. Then I noticed a kitten that hadn't yet gone home, had a really swollen abdomen I took her to the vet and she had a temp. vet sent her home went back today temp was 103.6 vet drew straw fluid from her abdomen. confirmed it was likely fip. this is now the third case. I am devasted. same sire. 3 different mothers. how is this possible? I am shutting down the lines but I don't understand how it got into my cattery in the first place and i'm terrified and saddened over this. these babies don't deserve an ending such as this:( I've been trying to do research and I know bleach and clean but how do I eradicate the disease/virus once the last kitten leaves who has the fip when i'm sure the cats/kittens in my cattery likely all have the corona virus? I can throw away and change litter boxes no problem. I do that often anyhow. food bowls too. cat trees as well but what about my other cats I have? and I have other litters due shortly? how do I protect them? Is it the sire or the damn who passes this virus? I was reading kittens aren't born with this virus and that early weaning around 4-5 weeks actually makes it so that they will not get the virus. is this correct? thank you for any insight and help you can provide.

Re: Fip in cattery

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 5:59 pm
by Mollycat
Sorry to read this. I don't have any answers but wanted to offer a few words rather than scroll on.

I did find this, I presume you've read it already, but it seems the sire infecting the dam could be likely so I would contact that breeder without delay.
https://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/FIP% ... 145113-970

Re: Fip in cattery

Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2019 12:11 pm
by booktigger
I'm sorry to hear this, it makes sense that the first two would get it if the mothers raised each others kittens. Have you had any new cats recently? Do you have your own studs?

This might give you some help, it seems to indicate it could be the queen or the tom.

In breeding catteries, eradicating coronavirus infections is extremely difficult, as the virus is so ubiquitous, and it is unsuitable in most situations to attempt this. A more practical approach is to use measures to reduce the risk of FIP occurring, but recognising that on occasions, this may happen even in the best run catteries. Good practice to minimise the risk of FIP would include:
•Avoid keeping large groups of cats and having multiple litters of kittens at any one time
•Keep cats in small isolated groups (ideally no more than four cats in each group - this reduces the risk of endemic FCoV infection)
•Have at least one litter box for every two cats, located in easy to clean and disinfect areas
•Keep litterboxes away from food and water bowls, and clean/disinfectant them regularly (at least daily)
•Avoid stress and maintain good hygiene and preventive healthcare for all cats

Wherever FIP occurs is a problem in a group of breeding cats:
•Consider preferentially breeding from older cats, as these will less likely be shedding FCoV
•Consider isolating queens just before they give birth and keeping the queen and kittens isolated from all other cats until the kittens are homed, as a means of reducing the risk of FCoV spread to kittens
•Stop breeding from any queens or tom cats that repeatedly produce litters of kittens that develop FIP as they may be passing on FCoV infection or may be passing on genetic susceptibility to disease
•Carefully review management and hygiene policies
•If faced with an outbreak of FIP, stop all breeding for several months

Re: Fip in cattery

Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:36 am
by Havehope
•Avoid keeping large groups of cats and having multiple litters of kittens at any one time I am keeping my litters separate now so that the queens and kittens do not interact with one another

•Keep cats in small isolated groups (ideally no more than four cats in each group - this reduces the risk of endemic FCoV infection) unfortunately I do not have the ability to do this. I do not cage my cats and I can not group my cats into groups of 4's and separate them and pair them off. I am however neutering the sire who is the father of the fip positive kittens and also getting rid of another sire and a couple more cats to cut down on my numbers.

•Have at least one litter box for every two cats, located in easy to clean and disinfect areas I already do this all the time. boxes are scooped daily and every few months I completely throw away and get new litter boxes]
•Keep litterboxes away from food and water bowls, and clean/disinfectant them regularly (at least daily)
•Avoid stress and maintain good hygiene and preventive healthcare for all cats I do that the best I can

Wherever FIP occurs is a problem in a group of breeding cats:
•Consider preferentially breeding from older cats, as these will less likely be shedding FCoV I did that and my sire who is 7 was the father of all 3 fip kittens one of my damns was 5 she is being retired. she was the mom of one of the fip kittens.

•Consider isolating queens just before they give birth and keeping the queen and kittens isolated from all other cats until the kittens are homed, as a means of reducing the risk of FCoV spread to kittens how does this work? isn't fip genetic as well?

•Stop breeding from any queens or tom cats that repeatedly produce litters of kittens that develop FIP as they may be passing on FCoV infection or may be passing on genetic susceptibility to disease I am already doing this by shutting down the lines of the toms and queens who have produced the fip kittens
•Carefully review management and hygiene policies already done
•If faced with an outbreak of FIP, stop all breeding for several months im trying but I do have pregnant cats already this is not possible at this time im taking every precaution I can right now.

Re: Fip in cattery

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:34 pm
by Mayday21
Hello Havenhope so sorry to read this. FIP is an insidious disease .. my heart goes out to the kitties.