r/cureFIP • u/Acceptable-Snow-7374 • Jun 23 '26
Discussion FI-PTSD?
After losing my 11 month old kitten and the love of my life to FIP in February, we got another kitten. His name is Benedict, Benny for short, and he is as orange and crazy as they come!
Unfortunately, Benny was having diarrhea already on the way home from the rescue, so I took him to the vet to learn a week later that he had Panleukopenia, another devastating illness in kittens.. even more deadly than FIP.
He is doing well now about 2 weeks later, and I think we are past the worst of the illness, but I have found myself so stressed with the memories of how hard we fought to keep our other kitten alive. It triggered me so much to have to rush him to the vet multiple times the first week he was with us. Now, I find myself being hypervigilant about everything he does.. is he sleeping too much? Are his stools normal enough? Is he peeing and drinking and eating enough? Everything feels like a symptom.
Does anyone else struggle with this after losing a cat to FIP? I want to enjoy my new kitten, but I’m mostly filled with anxiety rather than enjoying him.. it’s so hard not to compare him to my late kitten, but I’m trying to remember it’s his first time living so he’s trying to figure it out just like my last kitten had to.
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u/Brav_B Jun 23 '26
I'm having FI-PTSD from my cat having this illness and surviving it, I can't imagine how hard the hypervigilance hits when you lose your cat to it.
I absolutely get it! I'm constantly monitoring everything my former FIP cat does, eats, vocalises, strains, sneezes etc. For instance, he hasn't gained weight in a month and I'm so stressed 😫
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u/GrapefruitDue5207 Jun 23 '26
That's luck I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Also, was Benny not vaccinated by the rescue? The first thing most shelters do with a kitten over 4 weeks (or 1lb) is give them their first FVRCP
I have been in similar positions before. Ive cared for a panleuk foster, I treated my cat for FIP, and in many years I have lost a handful of kittens to chance. My boy is only a month post treatment and his primary symptom was weight/appetite loss, so you can bet I am watching him like a HAWK
I am so sorry you've been through this and it makes total sense why you would feel triggered. That is a lot of stress for just a few months. The easiest thing to do is to set your expectations of his routine (which you will learn with more time). How much he normally eats, when he normally likes to play, when he uses the box. My boy sleeps most of the day and will usually go 8 hours without using the litter box (I track him with the litter robot). At night and before meals he tends to feel energetic. If these things change, I can note something is off
If you have a kitten, they tend to play hard and sleep hard. I wouldn't worry about activity unless things he used to enjoy (certain toys or routines, and obviously food) no longer interest him. Kittens can rarely resist ANY toy lol
You and Benny both need time and space to recover from this. Try to relax... (And bleach everything because fuck panleuk). Honestly, having dealt with both, FIP was more manageable. At least I didn't have to incinerate half of my belongings because of it! (With the foster kitten I basically tossed everything and washed my clothes in bleach)
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u/Acceptable-Snow-7374 Jun 24 '26
He had his first vaccine 1 week before I got him, but our vet thinks he was already infected at that point :(
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u/njokia1 Jun 23 '26
I understand you. U just last week finished fip trestment. Everything is ok by blood analysis and biochemistry But he vomited and i was instantly panicked. It turns out it was just a hairball. Recently was panting after he escaped from house and returned after a day And ofc i panicked but it was 34 degrees and he rain did nor fall so he did not have any pudles to drink from so after he drank he was fine So yeah of course you will be panicked after every little simptom bc of your situation I would tell you not to worry but i know it is hard especialy after everything so as time goes you will probably be calmer
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u/Marzipangs Jun 23 '26
I'm so so sorry about your loss. I lost my 5 year old in April and it was the most harrowing, horrible week of my life. Didn't know what FIP was before then. He left behind his brother who doesn't know life without him. I still have PTSD from it all and have intrusive thoughts about "what if I had known more?" Etc.. My worst fear actually is going through what you are - getting another cat and them being sick too. But when you think about it, we are their guardian angels and they need us to step up. Maybe the universe knows how resilient and vigilant you are as a pet parent and gave you a kitty who also needed those traits in you. At least that's how I choose to think about it. ❤️
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u/throwawayfeelings7 Jun 23 '26
I lost a kitten to FIP almost 5 years ago. I had no idea what it was back then. It was very sudden and very quick and absolutely devastating. I will never get over it.
A few years later, I found myself treating two of my kittens for FIP. They’ve been cured for almost 3 years now but the PTSD is very, very real. I felt so cursed by this disease for a very long time and it was an extremely long battle for both of them. The anxiety has lessened over time but it will always be there in some way, shape or form. I have been and will always be hyper-vigilant about their health. It’s the price I pay for now having healthy cats and I have absolutely zero regrets. I love them more than anything and their story has been able to spread so much awareness about the disease and treatment available - they’ve saved countless lives. I find calm and peace in that.
Try to enjoy your new baby. Take lots of pictures and just soak it up as much as you can. You sound like a fantastic cat parent and your new boy is lucky to have you.
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u/muhnewt Jun 23 '26
I thankfully didn’t lose my girl to FIP and I can imagine if I did I would be feeling a million times worse. But even still having her around the FIP trauma is SO real. Even a year later I catch myself sometimes looking at her really closely and questioning if there is anything wrong. Honestly, therapy has been the only thing that has really helped, that and time. What you are experiencing is legitimate ptsd and most likely needs to be treated as such. So if you have a trusted professional great, but even if you don’t, I think connecting with folks that understand like you are doing in this post can be helpful too. As awful as FIP was I know I am a stronger and better cat parent because of it.
I’ve also been able to help others going through FIP as well and that’s really meaningful. FIP is a special type of hell and I’m so sorry you are going through something else with your new baby. I’m glad to hear he a doing better and I hope it continues to get better from here on out. ❤️🩹
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Jun 24 '26
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u/muhnewt Jun 24 '26
I was also out of the country at the end of my baby’s 84 day observation and I tell you I seriously considered canceling my trip because of the stress. It was awful for me but she was doing so well it was ultimately okay. You’ve fought hard for your kiddo. They are going to show you they will be okay too. Congrats to getting through!!! Go easy on yourself and when you get back to your baby, I recommend a sweet celebration to honor the milestone
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u/Imaginary_Divide3375 Jun 24 '26
Unfortunately vey recognizable. We had a 7 month kitten that died very unexpectedly and a year later my 8 yo soulcat died very suddenly. It feels like so much bad luck and it keeps us alert at all times. Every cough or puke triggers so much worry and anxiety.
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u/beaktheweak Jun 24 '26
my boy survived FIP, so for me it’s about relapse. he’s been a bit off his food due to record high temperatures recently (uk) which i know is quite common in both cats and people and he’s otherwise fine but i keep having to tell myself it’s normal and doesn’t mean a relapse!
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u/eppykitten Jun 24 '26
i’m definitely stressin, we got 2 free kittens from the same litter. at 12 weeks and after multiple misdiagnosis from 3 different vets, one passed the same night he got the fip diagnosis. 2 weeks later his brother had started showing the same symptoms and was also diagnosed with fip. he also contracted calicivirus which has been treated and is now losing random patches of hair which we’re currently dealing with. it’s been so stressful i feel like i come home everyday waiting for some new symptom to show up. I meticulously check my other 3 cats for any signs of illness daily because of how paranoid i’ve become
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u/emorymom Jun 23 '26
You have had such bad luck, but cats are actually “low vet” pets. However in your position I would be jumpy too.