MOUSSE'S FIP STORY

Hi Everyone,

I only got around to making the posting for Mousse recently, so, without further ado, I am happy to announce that Mousse is officially FIP free!

I adopted two kittens in January of 2023. Our lovely little girl, born in September of 2022, Mousse, is a FIP Warrior and this is her story.

During the first week of February, I noticed that Mousse had slowly lost her appetite and energy. Later, she stopped eating, her weight went down drastically, and her belly looked significantly bloated compared to her brother's. By then, I had already booked a vet appointment, but it turned more urgent as there was blood in her stool; I went to the vet immediately on February 3rd, 2023.

The vet did a general examination and said Mousse's symptoms align with the effusive (aka wet) form of FIP, which refers to the accumulation of fluid in body cavities, leading to a swollen abdomen resulting in difficulty with breathing. We went ahead with an x-ray that showed an accumulation of fluid in her abdomen, but it wasn't conclusive. Mousse had her blood drawn, where they found elevated protein and white blood cell count levels and signs of jaundice, which are all signs of FIP. Then, on our February 10th vet visit, the results of Mousse's abdominocentesis PCR came back positive for FIP.

It is known that cats diagnosed with FIP have a nearly 100% mortality rate because there isn't a specific cure that can be prescribed. To put it simply, without any treatment, she would die. This was when my vet referred me to a network of individuals experiencing the same situation who have found a 90% effective treatment; it is a non-FDA-approved medication and will need to be bought off the black market. The treatment will take a minimum of 84 days, and the dosage increases as the cat's health improves.

I first joined the FIP Warriors Facebook group on February 4, 2023 and was promptly put into a group chat with very knowledgeable individuals on FIP treatment. They were very thorough with the questionnaires to assess the condition of my cat and gave me in-depth explanations on the medication options. During the entire treatment process, the group was very reliable and never failed to check-in on how Mousse was doing (very helpful when I got caught up with life).

On May 12, 2023, we made it to the observation period– then, on August 7, 2023, we were officially declared cured from FIP! Now Mousse is back to being the ball of energy that she is and is always up to no good! I can say that her appetite has improved, from snatching pork ribs and corn-on-the-cob off the kitchen counter to swatting at our pendant kitchen light and watching it swing. I want to thank everyone who has helped Mousse and I through this journey, I got to see Mousse fight and win her battle with FIP. Thank you for being a part of our journey with the warmest of hearts.