My Cat. *Lock Please*

Gilder

My cat has just been diagnosed with FIP, and I'm not sure how to handle it. We just took her in to the vet because we thought she had a cold and it came back with this. This is the first time that I'm losing a pet that isn't a goldfish or bird. I've had her since I was 13. She's only 10 years old so I thought we'd have another 10 years together, so this is such a huge blow. Can anyone give me advice for how my family and I can cope with this? From what I can tell online we've only got a few more months with medication and treatments. I'm a complete wreck because of it. We're losing a member of the family here, because its just been me and my mom my whole life until we got her. She was and is my only real companion.

Jinn

If it's financially feasible for you, maybe consider getting a new kitten and letting the two hang out. That's what I plan to do whenever my dog seems to be on his way out. I like the idea of the new pet learning a little something from the old pet, and sharing the grief in some small way as your new companion.

Esh

I'd say spoil the bejeezus out of your current cat and wait to get another until you're ready. You should focus all your energy on the current cat. I'd personally feel weird and guilty by bringing in a new cat while the current one was dying. Kittens are high maintenance and that's the last thing you need right now. An adult or adolescent would be an equally bad idea in case they don't get along.

ceres

Jinn wrote:

If it's financially feasible for you, maybe consider getting a new kitten and letting the two hang out. That's what I plan to do whenever my dog seems to be on his way out. I like the idea of the new pet learning a little something from the old pet, and sharing the grief in some small way as your new companion.

DO NOT DO THIS. It's a nice idea, and under ordinary circumstances would probably be a nice thing to do, but FIP is very communicable, and in fact if you plan to get another cat you should make sure there's nothing special you need to do to clean your house beforehand.

Gilder

I feel like if I got another cat so soon it would be like I'm only getting one to make me feel better, rather than because I feel like I want to give a new pet a good home and it's something I'm really ready to do. That might just be guilt I'm feeling right now though because I'm overwhelmed. I guess we'll just be spoiling the current cat with all her favorite things to make these last months the best she's ever had. The only thing I can tell myself is that there's nothing we could have done. The vet said that FIP isn't contagious (although I don't know how true it is? It's hard to read medical entries on wikipedia and such and the vet was kind of hard to understand) and that it just happens. I guess she's had it since she was born and it was just undetectable. If it is contagious, could we have gotten it from some neighboring cats somehow? We did just move to a whole new place. I'm going to feel so horrible if there was something we did wrong that made her get sick.

Kakodaimonos

There's not a whole lot you can do. Everything dies, some things just die sooner than others. Make your cat comfortable and try to make a decision now on when to end it, not when you're upset and your cat's in terrible shape. You don't just owe your pets a comfortable life, but you also owe them a comfortable death.

MushroomStick

I think Ceres may be confusing this with FIV (HIV for cats). Everything I can find about FIP online says its not contagious and that quarantines are unnecessary in multiple cat households.

riz

Take lots of pictures of your kitty, and videos if you can... That kind of stuff may be too difficult to look at soon after, but eventually you'll be very happy that you have those memories preserved besides just the ones in your head.

And what others said about spending as much time as you can with her. And learn what you can (talk to the vet if articles online aren't helping) about the disease so you'll know what to expect and things to watch for in case she needs help.

Reznik

My cat has cancer and we're taking her in tomorrow to be put to sleep. It fucking sucks. All you can do is spoil the hell out of your cat. Also, watch her condition closely. If she starts having trouble with stairs, or jumping up on things, or getting to the litter box you should move things around as much as you can to make things easier for her. We ended up setting my cat up in the basement with like 3 different beds on the floor, her litter box, and multiple food/water dishes in close proximity so she wouldn't have to struggle to get to anything.

Just don't wait too long when she starts really deteriorating. I think we've kept my cat around a week too long, and it hasn't been of any benefit to her.

Gilder

The vet wants to keep her overnight tonight and maybe tomorrow to give her a nutrition boost so she can be more of her normal self while we give her food supplements and treatment, and as hard as it'll be to ask we're going to find out if she'll go peacefully or if she'll suffer from inaction and we need to take her in. I'm hoping that somehow they made a mistake and they'll find out if they keep her overnight, but that's self-delusion. It is our duty to make sure she's as comfortable as possible until the end, and we're not going to abandon her now. Even if we only get another few months the memories will be forever. We'll be sure to take some more pictures as well.

ceres

Is this the FIP you're talking about? This is the first result I got, so if it's not this and the FIP you're talking about isn't communicable, great. But make very certain before introducing another cat.

Basically, what it says it that the condition FIP itself isn't communicable, but it is believed by some to be caused by the mutation of a virus that is. wikipedia isn't exactly a journal of veterinary medicine, but I still would not go introducing another cat to yours, and when you do get another cat, however far down the line that may be, you'll want to make sure you get a new litter box, food dish, toys, everything.

But that's down the line. For now, I would definitely spoil the crap out of her. I remember the day we decided to put my dog to sleep, I played with her, sat with her, and even got a burger from McDonald's and shared it with her. I'm not sure I'd seen her so happy about food for a long time; it was like she was a puppy again and I'll always remember that.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

All you can do is keep her as comfortable and happy as possible until the end.

Animals have a high threshold for pain and won't really communicate to you that they're suffering. Sudden problems with regular activities (going outside, climbing stairs, eating, whatever) might be the only indication you get that she's in pain and the end is near.

Delzhand

I've been there. My first cat, who my wife actually raised from a kitten, had a number of health issues, and his health took a sudden turn for the worse while she was studying abroad. I switched him from moistened dry food to premium wet food exclusively, and he actually started eating quite a bit and got some of his strength back - enough for him to make it until she returned. I used that time to get plenty of videos and photos.

My sympathies, Gilder.

Steev

I don't have much else to add to what's already been said here. I've gone through the loss of several cats in my life and it never gets any easier. If you have a job, you might consider taking a day off after it happens.

Gilder

Thanks everyone. Obviously I'm not the only one who has ever suffered a pet loss, but it helps to get outside encouragement in this situation. I don't like feeling like I should just suck it up and pretend it doesn't bother me. The vet said that they're going to take some X-rays to determine how advanced it is, and he's hopeful that it's early enough that she can live out however long she has left just as her everyday self. I'm hoping that the 3-5 months estimate is only for when it's advanced, and maybe she has like 9 or 12 ahead of her. At any rate the vet really pushed the phrase "prolonged happy life" for her.

Druhim

ceres wrote:

Is this the FIP you're talking about? This is the first result I got, so if it's not this and the FIP you're talking about isn't communicable, great. But make very certain before introducing another cat.

Basically, what it says it that the condition FIP itself isn't communicable, but it is believed by some to be caused by the mutation of a virus that is. wikipedia isn't exactly a journal of veterinary medicine, but I still would not go introducing another cat to yours, and when you do get another cat, however far down the line that may be, you'll want to make sure you get a new litter box, food dish, toys, everything.

But that's down the line. For now, I would definitely spoil the crap out of her. I remember the day we decided to put my dog to sleep, I played with her, sat with her, and even got a burger from McDonald's and shared it with her. I'm not sure I'd seen her so happy about food for a long time; it was like she was a puppy again and I'll always remember that.

Yeah, unless it's some other feline disease with the same acronym it's not just Wikipedia that advises keeping infected cats separate from other cats:

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fip.html

Can I protect my cat from getting FIP?

In multiple cat environments, keeping cats as healthy as possible and minimizing exposure to infectious agents decreases the likelihood of cats developing FIP. Litter boxes should be kept clean and located away from food and water dishes. Litter should be cleansed of feces daily, and the box should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected regularly. Newly acquired cats and any cats that are suspected of being infected should be separated from other cats. Preventing overcrowding, keeping cats current on vaccinations, and providing proper nutrition can also help decrease the occurrence of FIP in groups of cats.

Deathwing

Really sorry to hear you're going through this, Glider, and you have my sympathies - we had a kitten develop FIP a few years ago (the "wet" version) when he was 6 months old and ended up having to put him to sleep.

Basically, what it says it that the condition FIP itself isn't communicable, but it is believed by some to be caused by the mutation of a virus that is. wikipedia isn't exactly a journal of veterinary medicine, but I still would not go introducing another cat to yours, and when you do get another cat, however far down the line that may be, you'll want to make sure you get a new litter box, food dish, toys, everything.

Yep, the advice we were given is that we should clean everything very thoroughly and wait 4-6 months before getting another cat, to make sure the other cat we had didn't develop anything, and for the coronavirus in general to clear from the environment.

The best advice I can give is mostly what has been said already - spoil the heck out of your kitty, and enjoy all the time you have left with her, however long that might be.

Mortal Sky

Yeah, give the little rascal all the love you can while she is still around. Losing a cat sucks. Also, if the cat is having severe problems in the near future, it's probably not a bad idea just to go ahead and put her down.
Also, as awful and overly pragmatic as this sounds, don't try to spend a bajillion dollars on giving her a few more months if you know it's gonna be terminal anyways. The extra few months of suffering isn't worth it for you or the cat.

Quid

Like others have said there isn't a lot to do other than make your cat as happy as you can and enjoy the time that's left. I'm really sorry for your loss and know it's absolutely dreadful to go through. The best I can recommend is to think about all the happiness and joy you and your pet have had together.

Gilder

Got a call from the vet tonight. She took a sudden turn for the worse that nobody expected and there was nothing they could do. They said she was going to start suffering so we had to make the choice to end it before she could feel any pain. Her lungs apparently started to fill with liquid and they couldn't stop it. I want to thank all of you for your words of sympathy and encouragement that helped me cope with this since I already suffer from depression and such, and I want to especially thank riz for mentioning photos because we were able to get two last cellphone pictures before we handed her off expecting to have her back by tomorrow. I think I need to change the thread title to something less depressing so I don't see it in my bookmarks constantly, and if a mod could lock or delete this thread (Although I don't know if threads can be deleted here) I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you again everybody.

Edit: How do you edit thread titles in the new forums? Do you just do options, edit the thread title above the OP, and save? It's odd because I can't see the rest of the thread and I don't want to accidentally post the thread again. I just wanted to change it to say "My Cat. *Lock Please*".