One of the most important decisions you’ll make as a pet parent is finding a quality health care provider for your furry friend. Selecting the right veterinarian is a personal decision, but you’ll want to choose a practice that offers the highest available standard of care.
FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) is a progressive, fatal disease that is particularly common in and dangerous to cats in shelters. It is caused by the feline coronavirus (FCoV) and can be transmitted through cat-to-cat contact and exposure to feces. FCoV infection is widespread in cat populations worldwide; however, less than 10 percent of cats infected with FCoV will develop FIP.
FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) is a lentivirus, the same class of virus as HIV, which is why some people refer to it as Feline AIDS. The most common route of infection is a deep bite wound from a FIV-positive cat to another cat. It can also be transmitted via blood, in utero and from milk from an infected mother cat. It is very rare for cats to get FIV from just being around infected cats, from sharing food bowls, or from a person touching a FIV-positive cat and then touching a FIV-negative cat.
FIV-positive cats have a weaker immune system so they are more prone to getting infections such as upper respiratory infections, ringworm and dental disease. There are no obvious signs of FIV infection so the only way to know is to do a blood test. The most common screening test is an ELISA test (often called a SNAP test) done by your veterinarian, which looks for antibodies to FIV. An antibody is a protein made by the cat in response to FIV infection. A cat can test positive as soon as two to four weeks after exposure, but it can take up to eight weeks.