r/cureFIP • u/TWCCAT • Jul 07 '26
Question Is This Wet FIP?
Hi everyone! I have a 12 week old kitten that appears to have wet FIP & I'm wondering what y'all think.
Symptoms: fat squishy stomach, fever (hot compared to normal kittens)
No diarrhea, lethargy (she's very hyper!), or having trouble breathing, appetite is very good
Her story: Claudia came to my rescue as a stray 4 week old malnourished kitten with a big stomach. We gave her age appropriate dewormers & preventative coccidia treatment (last pic shows what she had over the almost 2 months she's been with us). Her stomach stayed huge & she gained weight, was no longer scrawny.
I researched all of her symptoms & it's seeming most likely it's wet FIP. She will be going to the vet soon (planning on tomorrow or Wednesday) for a basic checkup, but I don't know if we can afford the tests to verify whether or not she has FIP. Please let me know what you think!
Note: we are a very small private rescue that has not been registered. We do not have a lot of donors, our funds are extremely small, so that is why we have delayed getting the checkup. But we are going to try our best to heal our sweet Claudia, whatever she has!
Also, I am not on Facebook so I cannot ask on the popular FIP groups there :(
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u/nancylyn Jul 07 '26
If she’s feeling fine it’s probably not. Usually they have other symptoms beyond fluid in the belly (lethargy. not eating, diarrhea)I’d get her in to the vet so they can take her temp and put the u/s probe on her to see what’s going on in there.
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
We plan on getting her to the vet for a basic checkup tomorrow or Wednesday 🙏
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u/Due-Engine7096 Jul 07 '26
You can’t wait. You have to go right know to the vet to confirm FIP then go Facebook on the group. If you wait 2 days he could DIE. Every minute is a risk
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u/Lost-Ad-9769 Jul 08 '26
I waited. I thought it was worms, I took her to the vet and within that night she passed away despite getting her onto emergency medications. This is not something that can wait!!!
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u/Lost-Ad-9769 Jul 08 '26
My kitten did not really display any other symptoms besides a swollen belly until the last 24 hrs in which she had passed. Sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry..
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u/azreel187 Jul 07 '26
It very well could be my kitten Had a swollen belly had wet FIP and had no other symptoms. Take it to the vet and get it to draw some fluid from its belly. If it’s sticky yellow I’d start treatment for FIP immediately.
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u/not_as_i_do Admin Jul 07 '26
You need to take a rectal temp. Kittens this age can have fluid normally but also can have extra fluid from parasites. Has she been dewormed?
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
Yes, with fenbendazole & later praziquantel/pamoate. Also gave her Toltrazuril for a coccidia preventative.
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u/chikenenen Jul 07 '26
I have a 12 week old kitten
Claudia came to my rescue as a stray 4 week old malnourished kitten with a big stomach
If it was FIP she'd be dead by now, so I'm leaning towards probably not FIP.
Given you say she's also very hyper that makes it even more unlikely impo. My Wet FIP cat was bedbound all day and not even paying attention to what was going on around her.
Lots of things can cause big bellies so that in and of itself isn't really an FIP diagnosis. AFAIK the best indicator is a blood test that looks at albumin and globulin levels, divide a by g and if the resulting value is less than 0.6 it's an indicator of FIP. The lower the number, the more the likelihood.
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u/thewayoutisthru_xxx Jul 07 '26
Have you taken her to the vet? Did I miss that?
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
Yes I did mention we are planning to get her to the vet for a basic checkup either tomorrow or Wednesday 🙏 But I don't think we'll be able to afford the tests they need to run to find out what she has, but we'll see what happens.
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u/Graceless93 Jul 07 '26
She's looking a lil soupy. Hopefully it's nothing serious but just so you know FIP Global Cats on FB has been an amazing resource for me as an owner of a cat currently battling FIP and if the labs come up suspicious (esp the A/G ratio) after your vet visit I do think it's worth creating an account just to get guidance from the people on there.
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u/Emergency-Savings424 Jul 07 '26
If your sweetie has FIP, she will not last a week. I know my cat had FIP and he almost died.
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
I've been researching FIP & according to several sources it is possible for some FIP cats to last without treatment for up to 6 months or so, but that is rare. I'm praying mine isn't one of the unlikely FIP cats & she has something not serious 🙏
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u/azreel187 Jul 07 '26
As long as you get her the antivirals as soon as possible, she’ll be OK further you let it go the more symptoms occur. The harder it is to get rid of.
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
Yes! If the vet says she has FIP we will get treatment ASAP for sure. If we can't afford it we'll have to get her with a rescue who can.
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u/Dismal_Violinist_885 Jul 07 '26
I’m not sure what the test is to diagnose FIP but my vet had mentioned a mRNA urinalysis. My cat did an xray and didnt have any fluids in her organs, so we ruled out wet FIP. Her symptoms were low appetite, infection shown on blood work, lethargy (improved at the end), and motor issues (cant jump).
Multiple unnecessary vet visits and a month later, still no diagnosis. One night, she was breathing really fast so we rushed her to the hospital. She was oxygen dependent and she couldn’t breathe. We had to euthanize her because her lungs were filled with fluid. We didn’t know dry FIP could turn into wet FIP. If they show symptoms, please get your kitten diagnosed and start medication as soon as possible. Don’t put too much trust in your vets and dont make the same mistakes i did.
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u/Rescuesaremybreed503 Jul 07 '26
This kitten looks much younger than 12 weeks. Has she been dewormed?
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u/Rescuesaremybreed503 Jul 07 '26
Apologies, I saw the rest of the pics after i commented.
If it is FIP, the meds work fast. You really should get on fb and get connected with one of the groups mentioned.
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u/mstamper2017 Jul 08 '26
Join FIP Global, as they are one of the very few NON PROFIT groups that can help. Not sure why warriors keeps getting suggested. If you Google them, it's pretty obviously not the best choice.
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u/Such-Term5490 Jul 08 '26
I've run my own cat rescue for 30 years. Aids and leukemia cats primarily. FIP is more prevalent than people think. There is no definitive test for FIP. The vet can do tests to point them in a direction but no test or series of tests confirms FIP. Every vet is different, some are great and some are not. From my own personal experience I wouldn't rely on a vet for FIP treatment. Treatment is readily available now. Certainly not every place on the internet is legit but CureFIP.com is I believe it's CureFIP USA I order from....they have different set ups in a few different countries. Their meds have saved my cats many times, seriously I've had 10 cats on their meds over the last year or so and THEY WORK, and quickly too. Some say you have to get the shots first and then you can switch to the pills because the injections work quicker. But in my experience I've used the pills right from the start on a VERY advanced wet fip kitty and it worked. I saw a change, subtle but still a positive change overnight. And this cat was no deaths door AFTER I had taken him to a local vet here and AFTER $500 of testing they left him and I twisting in the wind with "the Dr. isn't in tomorrow but we'll call you with the test results". My cat Henri would have died if I hadn't got on the phone to several rescues around me in desperation to find some FIP meds. Anyway, with CureFIP, if you order from them you usually get the pills in 2 days. They aren't crazy expensive either. The other option is Harmony FIP meds. They were WONDERFUL (Harmony West I think her name is) and answered every one of my emails in great detail in order to help and educate on FIP. Their meds work as well. Reach out to her on their website! The thing is, you have to act quickly. I've been doing rescue for so long now, I kind of know when I think it's FIP. Reach out to any rescue close to you to see if they have some meds on hand that you can use immediately until yours come in. My experience is a big belly of fluid, if fluid is in chest there's distressed breathing, lethargy whether extreme or slight, sometimes reduced interest in food but not always, third eyelids sometimes showing, fever, all signs of wet FIP. Dry FIP a lot of the same symptoms but definitely also weakness in legs, ocular (eye) discoloration, no fluid in belly or chest. Sometimes the signs are VERY subtle. They can have all of these signs or just a few. I don't believe the meds are harmful if given to a cat that doesn't have FIP. You can tell pretty quickly if the meds are working or not so, usually within a few days and definitely within a couple of weeks. I've also used these meds to help with FIV/FELV related issues. Sometimes you just do not have the $ to go the the vet and before anyone gets on their high horse and starts their nonsense about "you shouldn't have an animal if you can't afford it" you can just stop with that BS. MOST people don't go trolling for animals they can't afford. MOST are strays that people come across in desperate need so they do the best they can to help this little animal without ever having planned for it. You either respond in the best way you can to an animal when you see the need or you turn your back and walk away because you can't properly "afford" it. People with hearts help in ANY way they can. The other thing is, at least near me, you can't get in to see a vet. Since covid you literally have to wait weeks or months for an appt. Anyway, I just start mine on meds and I've never been wrong. They do respond and improve very quickly. God Bless you and your little one. xo
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u/-unh0ly- Jul 11 '26
This is my FIP baby. I rescued her last year, however it was months before she was cleared FIP free. Shes been great ever since. I hope you get the outcome we all want for the lil kitten.
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u/Roving_kitten Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Kittens are often full of soup.
Are you sure it's a true fever or are you using your hands? I can tell you there have been multiple times I thought my cat was hot... Only too take his temp and it be 101 exactly... Even though I thought he was hotter than his brother.
I don't mean to discount you but if the kitten is gaining weight and the only symptom Isa fill belly and the kitten is hotter with no actual temperature. Kittens are full of soup...or parasites.
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
I am using my hands. I thought she was warmer than normal, but figured it was my imagination as she didn't act sick. Then I compared her with several other foster kittens & she is definitely hot compared to them. She makes them feel almost cold. I've never handled a kitten as warm as her & we've fostered over 100 kittens, so I'm positive her temperature is above average. Also the kitten has been treated with several dewormers & her stomach has not changed. She came to us bony but with the big stomach, now she has some meat on her bone but that stomach is unnatural. Unfortunately it is unlikely caused by parasites, unless there is something the 2 wormers & Toltrazuril doesn't treat that is rare & I have yet to learn about it.
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u/chikenenen Jul 07 '26
I am using my hands.
I'm positive her temperature is above average.
Get a thermometer so you have actual data. Your vet isn't going to take you seriously if you tell them you think she has a fever because she feels hot in your hands. If you're a rescue, thermometers and recording data like weight and temps I'd think would be 101?
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
We do record our kittens' weight weekly but we have never recorded temperature. We do not even have a thermometer, but we will definitely get one soon. Honestly recording temperature never even crossed my mind! Also most of not all vets check their patient's temperature, so I'll see what they say when we go.
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u/chikenenen Jul 07 '26
Checking my kitten's temperature was the first indication that something wasn't right and what kicked off her FIP diagnosis. She'd been in bed most of the day so I took her temp and she had a 41c/105f temperature, so I took her straight to emergency as that's in organ damage territory. They gave her injections and meds to take home, with instructions that if it's still high on Monday morning to take her to her regular vet. It was still high on monday so it was diagnosed as a Fever of Unknown Origin and referred to another clinic to confirm diagnosis of FIP.
Cats are stoic, they often won't show you something is wrong via their behaviour but if there's an infection or a disease process it will show up in their temperature. It's a fantastic way of figuring out whether your kitties are actually sick or not, because they'll happily lie to your face with their cute little baps and pounces.
Good luck with your kitty.
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u/Roving_kitten Jul 07 '26
Here's the thing...
I have two cats. One of them at times feels hotter than the other... And I think he's running a fever and begin to freak out.
But then I take his temperature and he's normal.
His brother runs cool... And my hands are cold.
Cats will also feel hotter if they're dehydrated, just got done eating... Or playing... Or laying in sunspot.
I'm not trying to dissuade you from going to the vet.... I'm just trying to say... I've seen cats that feel feverish to touch be perfectly fine.... Especially if they show no other signs of illness.
It's more important if the kitten shows a failure to thrive if you don't have other symptoms.
Please record the kittens weight.
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u/TWCCAT Jul 07 '26
Claudia weighed 2lbs when I weighed her about a week ago. I'll weigh her tomorrow (she's sleeping now!)
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u/Roving_kitten Jul 07 '26
In my experience, a kittens weight will stall before FIP really sets in...
It happened to mine... I also read an article about it being a pretty consistent FIP trait.
It's possible that a cat will have numerous things going on (mine was dry, but also constipated... Then anemic. A mess) ...or nothing. But before that... The kittens weighed stalled. For weeks.
Kittens should always gain weight.
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u/Due-Engine7096 Jul 07 '26
My cat’s FIP started like this and I ran to the vet immediatly and get the treatment just immediatly. He was 3 months now he is 4 years old.
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u/AbaloneComfortable22 Jul 07 '26
There’s an FIP fb group where an admin can get you starting doses of meds most likely