FIP stands for feline infectious peritonitis, a mutation of the common corona virus which is present in almost all catteries and multi-cat households. Many cats carry elevated levels of the virus in their blood without being infected, or asymptomatic carriers. Why then, is it so deadly?
When people ask me about the chances of their cat getting or having FIP, I try to use a comparison to a human disease, as they may be more familiar with that, and have some understanding of how it progresses. The example I use is commonly known in people as "flesh-eating disease", or necrotizing faciaitis. This often fatal disease in humans is a mutation of the common strep throat virus. As yet, science has no explanation for why it mutates in some people, and not in others. It has been beaten with prompt and aggressive intervention. Unfortunately, that is not the case for FIP.
The corona virus can be considered something like a cold virus. It exists in a household, but not everyone is going to get it, let alone is someone going to die from a severe form of it. You can perform a blood test to determine the level of corona virus, but this is not an indication that your cat has active FIP. Only that it has a high level of the virus in its blood. This can mean it is a carrier, it has been in close contact with cats who have active FIP, or it can mean nothing more than the cat is stressed.
FECV, or feline enteric corona virus is the common form present in many cat households. It's spread by the fecal to mouth route, making thorough disinfecting of litter boxes and their surroundings, imperative as a preventative measure. Many cats acquire FECV and recover. Others do not recover, in the sense that they become shedders of the virus, but are perfectly healthy themselves. These are the cats which may pose a problem for other cats susceptible to the virulent mutation.
The solution of course, is to separate the shedder from the other cats. It does not mean you have to euthanize or give them away. Indeed, if your other cats are in good health, it may not be a concern at all in a pet household of two or three animals, which are not in contact with other cats. Identifying shedders is nearly impossible, with the exception of a PCR fecal analysis, which is not yet available to the public.
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