My kitten died from FIP. Are his brothers at risk? Is it safe?

FIP is caused by a mutation of feline coronavirus and the disease itself is not contagious. Feline coronavirus is very contagious but in most cats will not cause symptoms or even will only cause mild diarrhea. Only 1-5% of cats with coronavirus will develop FIP. I think its fair to be cautious but the likelihood of your cat developing FIP is very low. If you prefer peace of mind then maybe consider helping your sister find another pet sitter.

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question. I personally would not be worried about your cats contracting FIP. The coronavirus is found in the saliva and feces of infected cats. Therefore, cat-to-cat contact and exposure to feces in litter boxes are the most common modes of infection. Contaminated food or water dishes, bedding, and your clothing may also serve as sources of infection. It doesn't sound like this is a concern based on your description of how you separated the cats, washed your hands, etc. The coronavirus can live in the environment anywhere from 3-7 weeks. After 3 weeks, however, the number of virus particles present is probably too small to cause infection. Many disinfectants will kill the virus, including household bleach diluted 1:32 in water (1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water). So, you may want to do a thorough cleaning of the area where you housed the kittens and it may be best for you to not get any foster kittens for at least a month to try to prevent the new ones from getting infected. Hope this answers your questions. Best wishes.

There is very little that can be done regarding limiting the spread but it is important to understand that FIP is a very special infection, it's a virus that goes through a transformation in a minority of cats only, the actual FIP virus is not transmissible, the original virus is coronavirus, most cats get it but will never transform it to FIP.

So FIP is technically from a virus, however, most cats are exposed at some point in their life (especially if from a cattery or shelter). However, only a select few will mutate to become FIP. We don’t know why this happens, or how to prevent it. Could it happen again? Yes. But very unlikely. I have been a veterinarian for 11 years and have only had 1 FIP kitten patient. I know it’s easier said then done to not worry. Sometimes I find it helpful to give myself some grieving time and my worries seem to be less the more “ready” I am for a new Pet. I’m so sorry about your kitten, and I hope your new addition is spunky and healthy for many many years!! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I'm sorry to hear that! FIP is a nasty disease in cats, so I definitely understand your worry. I will try to answer your questions and give you some basic information about how this disease works - it's a bit more complicated than most other infectious diseases! FIP is caused by a coronavirus - coronaviruses themselves are extremely common in cats, and almost all kittens are exposed to them at some point. In a very few cats, the virus mutates into a much more dangerous form and causes FIP - this seems to be partly related to genetics, but it's not fully understood why this happens in some cats but not others. So although the coronavirus can be passed from cat to cat, FIP is not really considered to be a contagious disease because most cats who are exposed to a coronavirus will never develop the more dangerous, mutated form that leads to FIP. So, the bottom line is that your kitten will probably be just fine. There isn't much you can do at this point, since there is no diagnostic test for FIP. Although a vaccine does exist, it isn't recommended by the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) because it hasn't been shown to be effective and can actually cause illness in some cases. I would recommend preventing your kitten from having any further contact with your friend's cat to be on the safe side, and monitoring your kitty for any signs of a problem - but it's very likely that she will be just fine :)

Coronavirus itself is in most cases harmless to cats and many cats will have a coronavirus infection that will go unnoticed. The problem in a very small minority of cases is that this virus mutate into a new form and becomes what is known as FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) which is a fatal disease. The mutated virus cannot be transmitted to another cat. To summarise, risk is minor, but still exist.

No, this is impossible, FIP is a mutation and it's not contagious in it's active form, as your other cat is suffering from the same symptoms i would say that it is probably some other type of infection and not FIP.