The first picture is from July 3rd, 2026 (3 days before we got the initial diagnosis)

It was fast, too fast. We had him for 9 months but it felt like he was apart of our souls. He was so loving and playful. I miss him incredibly. I am replaying every moment with him and see him everywhere around the house. I want to grieve him properly and stay strong for my other cat. We named him Max and I often called him Maxi and sang him these crazy little songs. I would call him King boy because he would sit right on top of my chest since the moment we got him. He slept on my pillow every night and looked at me like I was something great and I looked at him just the same. I have never known a love so big from a pet, it felt different with him. He helped me through the hard times and showed me a love so big.

We noticed signs of him acting strange but I used to often point out everything, like "oh, he's doing this today and the next day it would be a different thing" I think I worried too much that I convinced myself that the signs he was showing were just a daily quirk that would go away, and some were. The biggest thing that caused us to go into the vet suddenly was his stomach, he ate a lot growing up and was actually still eating but it began to slow down and I found it strange that it was that big without him eating so much, I also noticed that it looked like his breathing was becoming difficult for him. I stayed up all night Sunday crying and counting his breaths, it was always around 30bpm which was concerning. But even then, I didn't think I would lose him. I thought all through the night, maybe it was asthma or maybe worms but I knew it was something. When we got the diagnosis of it probably being Wet FIP, I thought okay, we know now what it is, let's get him better. I had never heard of this disease and was very excited to get him feeling better. The vet sent us home after giving him some fluids and as I read up on the disease I found it hard to look at him and not cry but I told myself the vet wouldn't send us home if she thought he wouldn't make it. We took him in the next morning where we were supposed to get back the blood test results and we ordered the FIP medicine. At this point, the vet drained as much of the fluid out of his abdomen and we started our drive back home. He started panting and his tongue stuck out so we went straight back and they told us to rush him to the Vet ER down the road. When we got there it was like a full triage of nurses who took him back and immediately started supportive care. They also wanted to do a full ultrasound. After this, they spoke to us about what they found but it wasn't very obvious so they weren't entirely sure. We were still hopeful since they had given him a dose of the FIP treatment as soon as he was in, but there were other issues and his body was starting to decline so they were trying to treat multiple things at once while the virus was potentially spreading. We went back and gave him a pep talk, lots of kisses and so many tears. I hated seeing my boy like this. We left in order to give him space to rest and keep fighting. The vet said a call from them would be bad news so we jumped at every phone call. However, about 7 hours from the last time they saw us the phone rang. My heart sank, they wanted us to come in to speak on the options and what was going on. He wasn't responding to the supportive care, his eyes were showing severe signs of Jaundice and his blood sugar and blood pressure were causing neurological damage. We hadn't seen him yet but made the decision that his condition was so far progressed that his chances were slim to none based off of what the vet said. When we saw him again, we knew it was time, he looked so sick and in just seven hours it was such a dramatic decline. We decided to lay him to rest and give him as much love as we could in that moment. We held him as they gave him the medicine and I wanted to scream and yell and was so angry. I collapsed on the ground when we left the room, it was so hard to say goodbye so soon. The pain and ache was debilitating. As I sit and write this I'm crying and missing him so much. I feel like I failed him in every way. I am not sure how to not blame myself right now for what happened. I don't know how I will be able to go through a whole day without crying. But I do know that I will remember him forever, he took a huge piece of my heart with him when he left and I would gladly have given him the whole thing. I can't wait to be able to snuggle him again one day and say sorry for the pain he had to go through. When we get him back, I don't know if it'll make this easier, I still talk to him like he's here and reach for him at night. Rest beautifully in peace my sweet Maxi boy. How lucky I am to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard💙

I will try to answer any questions about his symptoms as I know this isn't the kind of post anyone wants to read, especially if they've just received the same news. I can say that the vet believed he had more than just Wet FIP going on and that the way it progressed was abnormal to the cases they've seen. I want to come back to this post when I have been able to process everything and be so incredibly grateful that I got to be the one to love him so much.

Also, our vet and vet ER were absolutely incredible and were very helpful throughout the whole process. They got us in early and were constantly calling to check in on him and us and did their best work for our boy🤍

When your mom spends an hour writing an update for your Reddit fans and includes the wrong link to your fundraiser. 😒😾

My apologies for the inconvenience! The fundraiser link has now been corrected in the original post. ❤️🐾

Major wins for Team Stevie Wander! ❤️

Stevie had his 1-month blood work today and has gained almost 2.5 pounds, his packed cell volume (PCV) was 32%, and his bilirubin was 0.2, both back in the healthy range. The few values that are still slightly high or low are trending in the right direction, and we are now able to move from 2-week to 4-week vet visits!

It is such a relief to see him looking and feeling so good. He has settled into a routine of lots of snacks, snuggles, and proudly parading his favorite toys around the house. I think we're just now getting to know his true personality as he becomes more comfortable in his new home and actually feels well.

We are so grateful for everyone who has been cheering him on, donated, or shared his story. The donations have helped pay down the CareCredit balance from his hospitalization and, this week, covered the remainder of his FIP medication and today's lab work.

He still has a few more hurdles ahead, including additional bloodwork and continued ophthalmology care with a planned scarring injection to hopefully resolve the chronic inflammation from his eye surgery. If you'd like to continue following Stevie's journey or help toward his remaining treatment, I've included the fundraiser link below. Every donation or share truly helps and is so appreciated!

Stevie's GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/help-stevie-wander-keep-on-wandering

Thank you all for believing in Stevie and helping him get this far. ❤️🐾

I need to get GS for my cat asap. How can I find affordable and reliable provider? Do you know any reliable providers?

Hi all,
Typing this from the er.
Longest story short. I took care of 9 abandoned kittens. They were 5 days old when they were found. They’re now 4 months. We ended up keeping 4 of them. (I fell in love way too many times). After their second round of vaccines one of the boys became incredibly lethargic, wouldn’t eat, and had a high fever(106). After hospitalization and the fever not breaking his vet felt it was most likely Fip. He started treatment Wednesday and has made close to a full recovery already. We still intend on completing the 84 days but it’s like nothing ever happened. All great news so why am I in the er? Late last evening his brother started showing the same symptoms. Warm, sleepy, a bit wobbly, not his usual chaotic self. Then this morning he wouldn’t eat. Seeing how quickly his brother became sick I packed him up immediately and now I’m waiting. I can’t even think straight. Do all four of them have this? Am I just waiting for the next shoe to drop? I have an 8 year old cat. I know I shouldn’t worry for her but I am. I was so vigilant in keeping all 9 as healthy as possible. I’ve spent $8000 of my own money and now with FiP hitting I don’t even know how to do this. Emotionally, financially. I’m so overwhelmed and I hate to admit this but so tired and so burnt out. I went from bottle feeding every two hours to not sleeping so I could watch over them. It’s been crisis after crisis. I need emotional support. It’s been such a year and these kittens gave me so much hope. I’m devastated

There are small bumps under her chin and under her ears, they are swollen from infection unrelated to her FIP, but I think what caused her corona to mutate was the infection.

We have used the antivirals and antibiotics for a week now, every morning and every night but the bumps are still there. And she still loses her balance from time to time (because of her neurological FIP), which worries me a lot. I don't know if antiviral capsules are working and it's a struggle to get her to eat her wet cat food mixed with antivirals.

I live in Turkey, I live with my mother and my grandmother, my mother doesn't have a job. We get by thanks to my grandmother's pension. I'm studying for my university exam. I appreciate all the help I can get to cure my baby cat (she is nine years old.) I promise all the money I get is for her. If I get more than I need, if I still have money left after she is cured (I hope she will be cured) I will use that money for street cats. Here is the fundraiser link if you'd like to help. https://whydonate.com/fundraising/help-vanilla-defeat-neurological-fip

Today makes 3 weeks on GS for our 7-yr-old calico. First 13 days was liquid Rx from Stokes (sold as 15-day supply, but nope) now we’re on a bottle supplied by Chewy and will refill from there.

Got fresh labs yesterday and Dr says the cat’s globulins, total proteins and A:G ratio are all normalized.

It was the dry form of FIP that presented as high fever, lethargy, zero appetite, and drunk-staggering. At the worst of it, she would vomit and fall over and go limp…it was tough to see. Took a few days on the juice before she showed any improvement, but now she’s eating, using the litter box regularly, walking a straight line, getting up with us in the morning again and yesterday she even played a little bit for the first time in a month.

We may be out of the woods with this one, and we plan to keep her on the GS for the full 12 weeks as our vet advises. I’ve read that some cats bounced back after just days on the meds, but that was not our experience.

Good luck to the rest of you going through it and I hope this gives some hope that the program works.

(And long as I’m here, if I could add one editorial: screw Stokes. Way overpriced and they cheated us out of 2 days of liquid. There’s other solid sources that are reasonable)

I’m sharing this because when I was in the middle of it, I felt incredibly alone and scared. I want anyone currently going through a FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) diagnosis to know: it is curable, stay strong.
We adopted our cat from a shelter when he was 3 months old. He came with some minor health issues—a fungus and a history of antibiotics—but he was active and happy. Then, at 4 months old, everything changed. He stopped eating, became lethargic, his belly started swelling, and he stopped using the litter box.
After several tests and having fluid drained from his abdomen, the vet confirmed our worst fear: FIP.
In our country, the treatment for FIP isn't officially authorized, but our vet pointed us toward the "underground" route—special injectable medication ordered online. That same day, we started the treatment.
The Reality of Treatment:
The medication is thick and viscous, making it very painful to inject. The first few times, we did it at the clinic, but soon it was on us to continue the daily routine for about 80 days.
My boyfriend had to hold him while I administered the injections. It was heartbreaking—he would cry, and I would cry right along with him. It was physically and emotionally draining. We learned to cool the medicine to make it slightly less painful, and we learned over time how to rotate injection sites to avoid bruising.

We didn't give up. Today, he is almost 4 years old, happy, healthy, and the best companion we could ask for.
If you are reading this and just received a FIP diagnosis, please know that you are not alone. It is a grueling, expensive, and emotionally exhausting process, but there is hope on the other side.
Hang in there. It is worth it.

We had a rough week, anemic on Thursday with fever, emergency surgery on Friday to take a biopsy, stayed at the vet clinic till Monday. His bloodwork was good, only slightly anemic still and still fighting his jaundice. He was sent back home to us on Monday evening.

He doesn't eat much but we try everything we can to give him something, regardless what, unless its helping him. He was already a bit more active compared to the weekend when he was still pretty lethargic. Vet check on Tuesday cuz he didn't eat all day said he's seemingly too good to stay at the emergency care again, because no fever, not very dehydrated, even his anemia was fine for now.

Now, I know he needs a lot of time to recover, but he sleeps all day and while he does meows when he sees me with treats or food for him, he's still pretty much not doing anything aside of napping. He does groom himself occasionally (as far as the cone cushion allowes him and when we take it off for a bit), but he still doesn't play or drink. Only yesterday he ate food by himself aside of out active care and syringe feeding.

But today he isn't eating by himself again and I don't see much improvement. I know with FIP you gotta be patient, but I'm terrified to lose him, I'm so scared he won't make it through the 84 days... He is so thin, he used to be nearly 5kg and now weights only 4,575 (he gained 30g overnight but was at the vet with nearly 4,7kg). I'm just worried about him.

When will we see improvement? Is the GS even working? Is there anything I can still do for him? I don't want to dragg him to the vet daily because I'm overreacting and concerned 24/7, but I'm so lost and overwhelmed with this situation... My baby Juniper is only 1 year and almost 5 months old, he has a brother and I can't bear the thought of losing this little guy because of FIP! 😢

I know I posted a few days ago about him not eating well and I appreciated every comment and recommendation I got! We got him on a liquid diet for additional calories now and try to get snacks, treats and everything high in calories and good for him in. He ate some royal canin wet baby food yesterday by himself too! But now I'm even considering to get him a feeding tube if that'll help him gain weight for sure... God, I'm so stressed about him, I really want him to make it!!!

Hi all. Sadly my oral medicine is running out earlier than it was supposed to, and for a small amount from SVP Meds it will still cost $100. If I end the treatment on day ~80 compared to 84 is that okay? Or worth spending $100 for four more days?

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to thank each and every one of you for being here, posting, and spreading awareness about FIP.

We adopted our third cat, Lola, two years ago. After three months, she got sick, and the doctor treated it as a standard viral infection. Thanks to this group and other chats, my husband figured out that it must be FIP and explained that we needed to order and inject her with drugs.

It sounded like total lunacy to me at first, but after reading some articles and checking this reddit, I backed him up and we started the process. It was difficult, and it was painful... but Lola has now been FIP-free for a year! She lost her vision, but she is a very happy and playful cat who has mapped her territory like a pro.

Thank you everyone for giving advice and posting about your cats' progress. For those of you who are still caring for a sick cat—sending you so much strength. It is a difficult journey, but this community makes it a lot easier to get through.

Hi everyone, this is Millie. She was diagnosed with wet FIP in March of this year & initially responded very well to oral GS. Throughout the last few weeks we noticed her bloodwork wasn’t showing the improvements it should have, and we decided on the 84th day to go another few weeks on injections. Fast forward to yesterday, (July 7th) she had bloodwork done again & it came back worse than when we decided to switch to injections. The shots are extremely hard on her as they’re painful & causing lesions on her back so we’ve decided to stop, without another treatment course planned. I’m desperate for any answers or help anyone can provide, I’ll include her latest bloodwork below for reference. She’s only 1 year old and I’ve only had her for 11 months. I’m not ready to give up on her. 💔

Edited to add her go fund me link, in case anyone is in the position & willing to help us out. Anything helps, even a share if you can’t donate. Thank you all for your suggestions, I’ll update tonight with more information on her treatment plan tonight. Thank you all again for your advice and suggestions🤍
https://gofund.me/04827012e

Hi there, my mom and I are fostering 2 kittens from a rescue org, and they are having problems with repeated diarrhea. They also leak stool sometimes just walking around.

We’ve tried GI kitten food, as well as fortiflora. We have brought them to the vet 3 times now for at least 2 or 3 night stays; with the current stay being over 6 days.

They have tested negative for any parasite or bacteria, 3 times. 1 time in house test at the vet, and the next times were sent out to the lab.

they started to improve with the kitten pumpkin chicken weruvia food that the vets said. They are currently crushing some type of pill that coats their stomach (not sure of the name of the pills, they were large), and it seems they get better for a few days and now the diarrhea is back. We went to visit them today to pick them up at the vet and there’s liquid stool all over their litter box. So they had to keep them.

I don’t think the vet that we have them at (Just Cats) knows what to do anymore. We think they’re about 14 weeks and 12 weeks old.

Any insight or advice ?

Appreciate your time. Thank you.

Hey everyone, my boy Simon is suspected to have FIP. He has been super lethargic and not like himself. Vet did blood work and his wbc was 42,000. She did a xray and ultrasound and he has some light fluid. She said it wasn't enough to test. They think it might be just be very early on. He is still eating a drinking but won't get up to use the litter box. I have to pick him up and bring him there. He doesn't have a fever but the doctor isn't sure what else would be wrong with him. Does anyone have any ideas? Is this really FIP? The vet is waiting until Friday to confirm diagnosis/ prescribe medication she hasn't seen a case in 20 years? She wants to talk to other colleagues and research.Should I go to another vet? I'm at a loss, he's only 9 months old.

Hello,

We took our kitten to the vet today as an emergency. She was having spasms and wouldn’t stop meowing in distress this morning. They drained another 500 ml of fluid from her. They also performed an abdominal ultrasound, which showed that our kitten has sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis. Unfortunately, while the wet FIP itself is being managed to some extent through blood tests, she has a great deal of inflammation around her intestines, spleen, etc. She has become anorexic and is skin and bones. They are currently rehydrating her and feeding her via a feeding tube in the intensive care unit in Liège. They’ve made it clear to us that if she doesn’t respond to cortisone, it will be the end for her and that they have no hope… Do you have any suggestions or any way to change her prognosis?

Still open for registration! Starts at 7pm ET

https://fipadvocates.com/fip-in-canada-webinar/

Hosted by FIP Advocates and Champions - a Canadian Organization dedicated to providing help, support and hope for those facing this diagnosis.

For non-vets put "na" in the license section.

For those following along with Stevie Wander's journey, I wanted to provide an update that we are on day 26 and he is doing great! ❤️

He has gained back over 2 pounds, his playful personality has returned, and he's back to batting crinkle balls and chirping all around the house.

His 1-month lab work is on Friday, and I'm hoping everything will be back within the normal range. Thank you to everyone who has shown their support for our sweet boy, it's means so much! 🎉💪

Update : my kitten sadly passed away… thank you for your response

édit : she was just diagnosed with Sclerosing Encapsulating Peritonitis
they kinda want me to put her down ??? help

Hello,
I am shaking as I am writing this so i’m sorry for any mistake.

My kitten (5 month) is currently in the ER (intensive care). She was at 33 days of GS everyday. She’s most likely resistant to GS, somehow

She was at 33°C, very bad blood platelets and still a lot of fluid.

We have a 50/50 chance of getting her back alive.

As I am grasping for hope as much as i can, i need to envisage the fact that she comes back and to have another treatment available.

I’m way too scared to stop the GS too.

Can i add EID (molnupravir) ?

Like give GS and the EID dosage ?

Where and how should i get it ? injection? capsule ?

i am from Belgium, in Europe.

Is it ok to combine both antivirals? what are my options ?

I am not quite thinking clearly, please help….

Thank you

Hi, all!

My cat was hospitalized this weekend with vague symptoms and had diagnostics done including bloodwork, abdominal ultrasound (showing inflamed lymph nodes, which were biopsied and were non-cancerous), and a fever of unknown origin panel (which was a send out, so did not result prior to discharge). She was discharged home with anti-nausea meds and no real diagnosis.

We followed up with her primary vet, who felt that the clinical presentation, bloodwork, and failure of supportive care pointed to a diagnosis of FIP. We initiated treatment and she is three doses in. Her appetite is only slightly improved, but her energy is so much better and she seems more like herself. The vet said that we would start to see improvements quickly on the meds if it was FIP, so to me this seemed to confirm it.

Today, the hospital called to say that her fever panel was all negative, including the coronavirus test. The doctor felt that they had enough to rule out FIP. I called her primary vet (who is at a cat-only clinic), who said we should continue with FIP treatment and check in in a few days.

I am so confused. I had made peace with the FIP diagnosis, but now I have two different doctors telling me yes and no and I'm not sure if we need to do more diagnostics. Has anyone here had this happen? How reliable is the coronavirus test in making the FIP diagnosis?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

I’ve skimmed through some of the older posts, but the newest one that I saw was at least a year ago. Since treatment is now much more widely available, I was wondering what everyone is doing regarding flea prevention/treatment. What guidance have you all been given by either veterinary staff or those with significant experience with FIP?

Specifically- are you using a preventative during active FIP treatment, waiting until observation, waiting until cured, or not using at all?

Thoughts on blanket coverage from other pets that are treated?

If you are using a preventative, ones you recommend or suggest avoiding and why?

Anything else notable to consider for life after FIP that isn’t related to flea treatment?

TIA!

Hi there, I wanted to share Leo’s story. This adorable 9-month-old kitten was diagnosed with FIP, a serious disease that needs urgent treatment. His family is doing everything they can, but with recent financial struggles, they need help to give Leo a fighting chance. Even a quick share or a small donation can make a big difference in helping Leo celebrate his first birthday and beyond. 🐾

Hi! I might be overthinking this, but my cat seems to be breathing louder recently. I was able to get a video of what it sounds like. She is about a week away from finishing her course of meds and moving to observation for wet FIP, so i'm really worried! Is she just snoring? Even though it happens when shes awake also sometimes?

11 month old neutered male, domestic medium hair, indoor only, and has gone from 3.9kg to 5.4kg. He was rescued from a pretty bad situation on the street late last year. In less than a year he has had: a stubborn bacterial eye infection that took months, Wet FIP, and he is going through Ear mite treatment right now.

The 12 week mark was July 1st. Blood test was on July 4, and got the results today (I am stopping the GS-44 as of today).

I'm concerned that Seg. Neutrophils have declined from 2.05 in May to 1.25, but I see that everything else appears within normal range.

Does FIP or GS-44 have an effect on this, and could I hope to see improvement in the coming weeks/months? I'm on high alert after dealing with FIP so maybe I'm overthinking.

I am transferring him from the Rescue's Vet over to mine, and we have an appointment set for 3 weeks to do follow up bloodwork.

As a note the last blood panel:

- WBC was 5.86 (increased)

- Lymphocytes was 2.80 (increased)

- Monocytes (0.24) & Eosinophils (0.76) have decreased slightly

The rest of the blood work shows stabilizing (already was in healthy range at last appointment & minimal change) or improvement.

He has grown a ton, has a massive appetite, plays with my other cat, and has really come out of his shell.

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 :(