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The Feline Welfare |
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The authors of these references and links are responsible for
the accuracy of the information and opinions expressed and
Feline Welfare does not validate any of these.
Care should be taken when reading internet links which do not have the backing of an established authority or which have not been subjected to peer review, but these links may still provide valuable background information and opinions. |
Feline Infectious Peritonitis |
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FIP is still not fully understood. It has even been described as
a symptom rather than a disease.
Most experts agree on the following: FIP is caused by a feline coronavirus FCoV mutating into a form which causes the symptoms of FIP. Most FCoV's do not cause symptoms or only cause very mild symptoms. A mutation of FCoV which has produced FIP in one cat may not produce symptoms in another cat. FIP is therefore not directly infectious. The chance of a FCoV mutating and producing FIP in a cat greatly increases with the number of cats sharing accommodation and litter trays. FCoV's are very common, and tests are available which detect antibodies to FCoV's. Antibodies are formed by a successful immune response by the cat. The antibody level does not measure the virus level. Some cats with fatal FIP have been found to have a low FCoV antibody level. There are PCR tests available which can detect particular mutations of FCoV, but they have not been proved to be able to predict the onset of FIP in a cat.
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FIP Links |
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The Feline Advisory Bureau FIP Information Sheet This is a good summary of what is known about FIP in cats |
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The PetEducation.com page on FIP This is a more detailed description of FIP and treatments. |
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CFA Health Committee Feline Infectious Peritonitis A detailed account of research so far with many references. |
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A Winn Feline Foundation Report On
Feline Infectious Peritonitis - UPDATES A progress report from Winn with more links |
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The TICA page on Domestic Feline Health Scroll down to "FIP" for several links on the subject |
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A text file of unedited FIP links. |
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