FIP was once considered fatal to cats. However, as the following article explains, there is a new treatment that has actually cured cats! This is wonderful news. Please read on, and thank you for your support.
In January 2021, Patty, one of my three Feral Fixers foster kittens, was diagnosed with wet/effusive FIP. It was devastating news since I had lost four out of five of one of my litters to FIP a few years prior and everything I’d ever read when researching it had said it was fatal. Patty’s belly was huge and I could feel every bone in her spine and hips. I had been syringe-feeding her at the time of the diagnosis since, once I noticed a big belly, I separated her from her sisters to monitor her food intake and noticed she wasn’t eating on her own. But once we got the official diagnosis, I was heartbroken. All I pictured was watching her deteriorate each day with an inevitable fate of death. I couldn’t bear it and Tammy didn’t want me to have to go through that either so we scheduled a euthanasia appointment for a couple of days later.
When I was holding Patty in my arms the night before her appointment, something was telling me that it wasn’t her time to go yet and I was drawn to my computer. I started Googling and researching and I can’t even remember what I was entering into the search bar but somehow I found out about a Facebook group called FIP Fighters. They were helping to clinically cure cats of FIP through a treatment called GS-441524. I answered the few questions required to join and waited to be accepted into the group.
The next morning, I had a message from one of the Administrators in my Facebook Messenger app. He told me about the three brands of treatment their group recommended, the dosages, the cost, and the frequent bloodwork required during treatment. I emailed Tammy and asked to cancel Patty’s euthanasia appointment and see if she’d approve of me trying this treatment if I bought the meds and Feral Fixers paid for the supplies, supplements, and monthly bloodwork. She said she was willing to give it a shot! Yes, we were putting our trust in this unknown drug from China, which was not approved for use by veterinarians in the U.S., but we really had nothing to lose.
I ordered the cheapest of the three medicines, gathered the required needles and syringes, and watched videos on how to give an injection. I also scoured through the FIP Fighters Facebook group, looking for posts with tips on how to give injections and helpful supplements to give during treatment, etc. I was terrified and dreading that first needle poke, knowing that I had so many more to go after that one.
The protocol for treatment is 84 days of injections, administered at the same time every day, with monthly bloodwork to see if improvements are being made, followed by 84 days of observation. If there is no relapse during the observation period, the cat is considered “clinically cured” of FIP.
I was about to venture into a six-month commitment to try to cure Patty but I was ready. I focused on the success stories shared by fellow FIP Fighters. I became obsessed with the Facebook group, tears constantly running down my cheeks as I read posts throughout the day. Sometimes tears of hope and joy when someone shared a success story and sometimes tears of sadness when someone shared their loss.
But the very special thing about this Facebook group was that everyone was so supportive and helpful. That, alone, inspired me since it is so hard to find these days. And it was an international group. I really felt like I had found “my people.” I was determined that Patty would be a success story and we could share her journey with others and let people know there IS hope after a FIP diagnosis.
After two weeks of injections, Patty’s distended belly had finally noticeably subsided and she was eating on her own. I syringe-fed her for quite a while, even supplemented her with it once she started eating little bits of food. Each day, I also gave her Pet-Tinic for her anemia, an injection of B12, and a milk thistle for liver support since GS-441524 is hard on the liver. (The Administrators of the Facebook group recommend liver support in conjunction with the treatment.) I shared each bloodwork report with my Admin to get his comments/suggestions.
Patty finished her 84 days of injections in April and was given clearance to enter the observation period. She finished her 84 days of observation in July without any incident of relapse and is now considered “clinically cured.” She took the injections like a champ and I am so proud of her. I’ve read many stories about cats who would really fight them so I felt very fortunate to have such a good
patient. And a positive side effect of this whole experience is that I felt proud of myself and became more confident in my capabilities to treat cats in the future.
Special thanks to Erika Vezza, author of this article, and Feral Fixers for permission to post this wonderful story. Visit FeralFixers.org to learn more about this great cat rescue organization.
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