Introduction
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a serious viral disease that affects only cats, especially young cats and older cats. The virus can cause disease within two weeks after exposure, but it can also remain dormant in some cats for months and even years before disease occurs.
Symptoms of FIP
Because various body systems can be affected, clinical signs of FIP can be quite variable and often misleading. Non-specific signs may include fever, gradual loss of appetite, and weight loss that lasts for several weeks. Clinical signs often reflect which part of the body is affected. For example, if the eyes are affected, blindness may occur, while seizures may occur if the brain is affected.
Types of FIP
There are two kinds of FIP: the wet form and the dry form. The wet form results in an accumulation of fluid in the chest, leading to breathing difficulties, or in the abdomen, causing a large, bloated appearance. The dry form affects the same parts of the body as the wet form but no fluid is produced. The dry form may eventually progress to the wet form if the patient lives long enough.