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Old March 7th, 2011, 04:05 PM
Travis13g Travis13g is offline
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Can/Should I Get Another Cat?

About 2 years ago me and my brother both got a cat. Everything was fine until after about 9 months my cat got sick and unfortunatly died of FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) and as it turns out my brothers cat was the carrier of FoCV (Feline Coronavirus) and gave it to mine which develped into FIP. Its a year later and i was wondering will my brothers cat ever not have FoCV? And if not would it be a bad idea for me to get another cat anyway? Would the cat die like my first one or might it be different this time around?
I would really aprecciate your opinions/answers because im very conflicted right now. I want another cat but i just would just feel so guilty if i got another cat and it died because i was foolish.
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Old March 7th, 2011, 04:48 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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First, I'm so sorry about the loss of your cat. FIP is such a tragic disease. It's also very complicated and there really isn't a straight line between a cat getting the coronavirus (which is quite common in cats, especially those from shelters or catteries) and it mutating into FIP.

There are some good websites below on the topic of FIP that you might want to check out while trying to make your decision:
http://www.sockfip.info/about-fip/all-articles.html
http://www.dr-addie.com/PreventionS1.htm

I think if you were to adopt an adult cat rather than a kitten, your chances would be much better that it's immune system would be strong enough to handle the virus. Also one of the most important ways to limit coronavirus exposure is to be extremely diligent about scooping the litter box (like several times a day). The virus is transmitted mostly through contact with feces, so if you keep the box scrupiously clean, that should help. Making sure your brother's cat isn't stressed will also lessen the amount of virus he sheds.
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Old March 9th, 2011, 12:56 PM
Travis13g Travis13g is offline
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Ive done alot of research on the subject and really its basically a chance. The new cat might or might not develop it. I still not quite sure though because i know i would enjoy having my own cat again and im sure my brothers cat (Shadow) would enjoy having another cat to play with again as shes very friendly (she always trys to play with my dog but my dog isnt to interested).
So basically im asking you guys what do you think you would do and/or any opinions that you might have. Would you take the chance (which they say is that 1/100 cats will develop it and die but who knows if thats even correct) or not.

Last edited by Travis13g; March 9th, 2011 at 03:26 PM.
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Old March 9th, 2011, 02:17 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis13g View Post
So basically im asking you guys what do you think you would do and/or any opinions that you might have.
If it were me, I'd get another cat, but it would be an adult at least 3 yrs old and in good health. But that's just me.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis13g View Post
Would you take the chance (which they say is that 1/10 cats will develop it and die but who knows if thats even correct) or not.
Not sure where you heard 1/10 will get FIP cause that's way off. More like somewhere around 1/300, up to 1/100 depending on where the cat comes from. And of course kittens are the most susceptible.
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Old March 9th, 2011, 03:25 PM
Travis13g Travis13g is offline
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woops i meant to type 1/100
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Old March 9th, 2011, 04:22 PM
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dbg10 dbg10 is offline
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Originally Posted by Travis13g View Post
So basically im asking you guys what do you think you would do and/or any opinions that you might have. Would you take the chance (which they say is that 1/100 cats will develop it and die but who knows if thats even correct) or not.
Welcome to the forum. Sorry about the loss of your cat, as Sugarcatmom said FIP is such a terrible disease.

I have 4 cats and over the last 20 years I have had several more that unfortunately died of one thing or another. If it were me, I would get another cat, but as SCM said I would make sure it's an adult, though I know how cute kittens are. If it's an adult cat, it will have resistance to the infection and be much less likely to contract it from your brother's cat.

If you get one, I would make sure the new cat has her/his own litter box maybe using the litter that they are used to wherever you get the cat from. That way hopefully your brother's cat will continue to use his/her litter box and will not venture into your cat's litter box. If you both try to keep them very clean by cleaning them several times a day, your cat should stay healthy.

As an adult I have had more males than females, but in my limited exposure to female cats I have noticed that my females have been more fastidious about their litter boxes than the males are. I hope this helps you make a decision. Good luck
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