FIP Fighters

Three Cats’ Tales of Hope

- Iris Zinck

In 2017, the feline world thrilled to the announcement that a cat had been successfully treated for one of the most fearsome diseases that can affect our beloved pets—feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Dr. Niels Pedersen of UC Davis, who has devoted much of his life to finding a strategy to cure FIP, was able to treat Luna, a Savannah female, with an antiviral drug, one of two that have now been used to battle the disease.1,2 Sadly, although they have now been proven effective, no FDA-approved versions are yet available. Nevertheless, many determined owners are working to gain access to the drugs. With or without the assistance of their vets, they are networking across the internet to support each other in the struggle to bring cats back from a diagnosis that is—miraculously—no longer considered an inevitable death sentence. Here are the stories of three cats whose owners fought back against FIP.

First Signs of Trouble

When Ladybug, a five-year-old seal point Birman spay owned by Mary Myers, was taken to the vet in Simpsonville, South Carolina in June of 2019, she was a very sick kitty. Weight loss, one of the classic indicators of FIP, had taken 30% of her body weight. She was also suffering from severe anemia, ataxia, and a slight upper respiratory infection. Additionally, her dark facial markings were fading.

Paige, another, much younger Birman female owned by Sue Deladi of Bloomington, Minnesota, had markedly different symptoms. She was lethargic, refused to eat, had loose stools, pale gums and a fever. Like Ladybug, though, she was extremely anemic.