My cat died from FIP. Is my kitten at risk? How to protect my kitten?

Question

My family just had to put down a 1 1/2 old cat suffering from dry FIP. We have a kitten, almost 5 months in our household as well as 5 other cats. I want to know if there’s an approx risk percent for the kitten getting FIP as well, and if there’s any way to minimize that risk. (We’ve already thoroughly sanitized cat boxes and continue to keep them clean since that seems to be a big issue). Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 4 months and 27 days old

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry to hear this happened. FIP can be pretty confusing and I will do my best to answer you but there is no way I can tell you for sure if the new kitten will get FIP. Basically, any cat that carries any coronavirus is potentially at risk for developing FIP. However, cats with weak immune systems are most likely to develop the disease, including kittens, cats already infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and geriatric cats. Most cats that develop FIP are under two years of age, but cats of any age may develop the disease. FIP is not a highly contagious disease, since by the time the cat develops clinical disease only a small amount of virus is being shed. Feline coronavirus can be found in large quantities in the saliva and feces of cats during the acute infection, and to a lesser extent in recovered or carrier cats, so it can be transmitted through cat-to-cat contact and exposure to feces. The virus can also live in the environment for several weeks. The most common transmission of feline coronavirus occurs when infected female cats pass along the virus to their kittens, usually when the kittens are between five and eight weeks of age. At this point there is no way to minimize risk as she has already been exposed if the cat that passed was shedding the virus. Luckily, the virus is quite fragile and does not survive for more than twenty-four to thirty-six hours in the normal environment however, it is believed that cold temperatures may preserve the virus for months. Transmission on clothing or other objects is only likely within a few hours of contact. It sounds like you have done all you can for now. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

My cat died from FIP. Is my kitten at risk? How to protect my kitten?

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