FIP is an enigmatic disease, but fortunately a rare one. Having bred an FIP-kitten, one would of course do everything even remotely possible to avoid FIP for the future. How useful follow up procedures are, however remains doubtful.

By Connie Garfalk
There are no precise guidelines for a follow up of catteries that have produced an FIP-kitten. Some American and English professional circles recommend regular testing, isolation and other attempts to be made. NRR (the Norwegian member of FIFe) has the rule of three months quarantine, where all traffic in and out of the cattery is stopped. No cat shows, no matings, no new cats in and no cats out. Regardless of all the different efforts one can make, noone can guarantee that a cat won’t develop FIP. That goes for all breeders, have they bred an FIP-cat or not.

Dr. med. vet. Ordin Møller at Asker Dyreklinikk (Animal clinic), points to this dilemma when asked what he recommends as a follow up of catteries that have produced an FIP-kitten.

– There is no standard procedure. I recommend that breeders wait a year before they mate any cat again. Especially if they know that two or more cats from them have come down with FIP, Ordin Møller says.

He is sceptical to frequent testing of the other cats in the cattery.

– It’s highly debatable whether these testings have any validity or not. They can only say so much about whether the cats are, or have been, infected with coronavirus. They don’t differentiate between the virulent and the harmless virus, moreover extremely few cats get sick anyway, even if they should be infected with a high viral load, says Ordin Møller.

He is supported by veterinarian Dagny Spanne Kjære at Tu Dyreklinikk in Stavanger.

– Testing for titre has limited value because they cannot pick out the more virulent from the more harmless coronavirus. Irrespective of titre, only very few cats develop FIP, even if they have been infected with a virulent strain of the virus, says Dagny Spanne Kjær.

Veterinarian Ulf Erlandsen at Tertnes Dyreklinikk in Bergen, shares their opinion.

– If a cat tests high for titre, but doesn’t show any clinical signs of illness, the only thing the test says is that this cat has a competent immune system. If regular testing for antibody titres shows an increase, one could maybe assume that this cat is in danger of developing FIP. But to run routine checks of cats is, as a general rule, only a way to fool oneself into a false sense of security. Noone can guarantee that a cat will not develop FIP if infected with coronavirus, and most cats in multicat homes are at some time or another, probably more than once, too, says Ulf Erlandsen.

All of the veterinarians we spoke with, recommended quarantine. This partly due to the belief that one of the outer factors that can influence the immune system, is stress. Another aspect of quarantine, is that one gets a period of time to see if any of the other cats get sick. The problem still remains, though, that one still doesn’t know why some cats’ immune system cannot cope with coronavirus.

– We practicians experience that FIP is a very sporadic disease, and when it manifests itself it’s often in connection with change of environment. Thus it might seem like outer factors like stress, do play a role when the virus mutates into FIP-virus, says Ordin Møller.

Veterinarian Eivind Arntzen at Byåsen Dyreklinikk in Trondheim, also recommends quarantine. However, he is more positive to regular testing of the other cats, once FIP has struck one of them.

– I recommend quarantine for three months, but it could also give useful information to test the other cats for antibodies for a period. If you have a litter born shortly after one of the other cats died of FIP, they should be tested. If they are seronegative, you might consider to vaccinate them against FIP. Especially if they are going to homes where there is a strong possibility for the existence of coronavirus, says Eivind Arntzen.

Dagny Spanne Kjær also recommends quarantine for three months, but has little faith in routine testing of the other cats. Ulf Erlandsen agrees that quarantine for three months is enough. If noone of the other cats get sick, there is no need to do anything further.

– It’s very doubtful if it’s possible to rid a cattery of coronavirus. It’s far too common a virus. It would be extremely expensive to get a cattery guaranteed free of coronavirus, if it is indeed possible, says Ulf Erlandsen.

The veterinarians are very concerned about breeders giving information to their kitten buyers and others they have been in contact with.

– Quite often the occurence of FIP is kept secret. This is a pity, because it’s important to inform one’s kitten buyers of what has happened. Coronavirus are very contagious. Anyway, it’s nobody’s fault that their cat, or cats, get infected with this virus, as is the case with any other virus, says Dagny Spanne Kjær.

Asked if Ulf Erlandsen has the impression that breeders inform about FIP, he answers vehemently:

– It’s completely impossible to speak about FIP in the cat fancy! Focus is immediately directed towards the unhappy person that had a cat with FIP, and this person gets seriously stigmatized and made personally responsible for the disease! The unlucky breeders that have told about their experience with FIP get treated as if they were leprous. The gossip flies in the cat fancy that everybody must stay clear of this breeder. This can become such a heavy load, that breeders quit breeding, says Ulf Erlandsen.

Many times he has wished he could get into the cat fancy and inform them about what one knows about FIP today.

– One has to relate to what medicine describes today, not what one believed 10 years ago, Ulf Erlandsen says.

Ordin Møller emphasizes the importance of giving information about an FIP-case. However, when giving such information includes the risk of being banned as a breeder, it’s understandable that breeders keep their mouths shut. When it concerns FIP, it doesn’t matter that the risk of any other cat developing it, is very remote.

Most cats that die, die of other diseases than FIP.

– When it comes to FIP, the cat fancy has to stop their teaparty gossip. FIP is a rare disease, but it could strike any cat from anybody, says Ordin Møller.

– How often do you treat cats where there is a strong suspicion of FIP?

– Very seldom. We’ve got around 3000 to 4000 consultations yearly, and among them there are only a handful that are diagnosed with FIP, says Ordin Møller.

– Do you see any differences between pedigreed cats and moggies?

– No. Actually, if the factor of inheritance is as strong as they say, we ought to see more pedigreed cats with FIP than not pedigreed cats. But we don’t, says Ordin Møller.

At Byåsen Dyreklinikk in Trondheim they have the same experience. Only a very small number are diagnosed with FIP. Eivind Arntzen estimates it to around three or five cats per year. In comparison, they treat about 3000 cats yearly.

At Tu Dyreklinikk in Stavanger it’s the same. Out of approximately 3000 treated cats yearly, less than 10 are diagnosed with FIP. Veterinarian Bernt Lande in Haugesund confirms that FIP is very seldom in his parts of the country, too. He treated maybe two or three cats with FIP last year. An interesting aspect with these few cats, is that neither of them came from homes where there were other cats living.
In Bergen, at Tertnes Dyreklinikk, they also see extremely few cats with FIP.

– We have less than five incidents per year. Compare that number with the ca 4000 cats we treat yearly, and it gives you an indication of how rare this disease is, says Ulf Erlandsen.