I have been doing some research on FIP (which is what the vet said Doodle most likely had) and find it very confusing. Maybe in the future I will get another cat, but I'm scared because the virus that is thought to cause FIP could still be in my house. Or maybe my cat that is left could be a carrier.
If anyone has any insight to this horrible virus please share it with me.
Kathy

I lost a cat to FIP. He was only with me a year after I brought him home from the shelter. I also adopter another cat with him that day. 5 months later I adopted to kittens, about 3 months old at the time. I didn't know that my baby Shadow had FIP, until he started getting sick and I took him into be tested. I learned how contagious the disease is, and that there was no cure. This was five and a half years ago. I don't know if they have made progress with treatment. I learned to bleach all bedding, blankets, water dishes, food dishes, and clean litter boxes with bleach, almost daily. I had three water bowls, three food bowls for dry food, and three litter boxes. I bleached everything every day. Anything Shadow touched was bleached. I couldn't, nor wouldn't stop them from licking each other's faces and showing affection, but it terrified me that the other three would contract it. Your living cat needs to be tested for FIP over a period of time to determine if they have it. Bleach everything you can, or throw it out. Make certain the litter box is completely bleached and the litter replaced. Don't bring in another cat until the final test is run. It can take a number of months for it to develop in their system and be detected by the blood test. I will be hoping the best for you. Keep us posted here. Your other cat stands a good chance of not being infected. My other three cats did not contract the disease, even though one of them slept with Shadow, ate what he ate, groomed him, especially as he grew weaker. So I believe your other cat may be alright. My thoughts will be with you. Boo Boo Kitty's Mom

Thanks so much for your reply. We are taking Woody to the vet tonight for a check up. From what I have read this virus doesn't attack all cats, but some are more susceptible than others. I really want another kitten, but I'm not willing to risk going thru what I went thru with Doodle. I can't let another one get that close to my heart only to loose them to something like this. So I'm hoping the vet can help us tonight with our questions. I have cleaned everything with bleach and plan on getting new liter boxes etc when the time comes that we get a new kitten.
I'm so sorry that you too lost a baby to this horrible virus.
Kathy

Boo Boo Kitty's Mom,
I meant to tell you that the cat picture for your avatar is beautiful. He is a very unique looking cat. Was that Boo Boo Kitty?
Thanks again for your reply
Kathy

Boo Boo Kitty is a Bengal, but he was black on black, so he was not wanted by his breeder. One of his sisters is the same, so I adopted her too. The other siblings were sold. Thank you for your comment about Boo Boo. He knew he was very handsome and was fawned over at the vet. He would do a runway catwalk whenever anyone was watching him. He was very vocal, more than his sister, so the house is much quieter now. I'm used to hearing his demands for love, attention, food, going in and out. He also purred everytime I touched him, talked to him, or even walked by him in bed. He would close his eyes and talk to me. He would wake me up during the night just tell me he loved me.

Thank you for asking about him. I hope your babies are well. If their immune system is good and they have already been exposed to the FIP, they should be able to keep from contracting it.