FIP FUND

In Memory of Mardi 2011-2012 Wet FIP

January 2024

As many of you know, Sparkle Cat Rescue's mission is saving the 'forgotten felines'. Prior to forming our 501c3 nonprofit rescue, we lost our own rescued kitty Mardi to Wet FIP. The heartbreak of losing him to such a horrible disease at such a young age led us to helping other homeless cats and fostering for another local organization in 2013.

In 2014, Sparkle Cat Rescue formed after we realized the huge need in our community to help the cats that needed the most help: 'forgotten felines': abandoned, abused, homeless, injured, neglected. Had our Mardi boy been rescued sooner and gotten the care he needed, he might not have ended up with FIP. We will never know but we can make a difference now.

We have launched this FIP Fund to help future and current Sparkle kitties that may be diagnosed with it, as well as adopted kitties. Give cats and kittens with FIP a chance for a cure! The medicine for treating FIP is very expensive, so we need your help. Every dose makes a difference to prevent a cat from dying of FIP! Thank you so much!

Below are FIP Survivors and FIP Warrior(s) currently undergoing treatment thanks to Sparkle Cat Rescue's FIP Fund and the donations we receive from our wonderful cat loving supporters.

DRY FIP ~ Currently Undergoing Treatment as of 1/1/2024

Leo (Brewer)

ELLIOTT

CURED 2022 ~Elliott

Elliott was rescued October 2021. We received a call from Banfield Animal Hospital in Burlington NC about Elliott. His owners surrendered him to the vet because they could not provide the medical care he needed. I was worried when I first saw his photo from Banfield that he either had FIP (based on his bloodwork they did) or he would be a prime candidate for it in the future because of his poor health. Unfortunately, I was correct. We had gotten him plumped up and doing better within 2 months' time when he came down with dry FIP in late January 2022. Thankfully, I had meds on hand to start him on treatment immediately. He did super well taking the pills (after all we went through with injections for FIP Survivor Thumbelina, we opted to start doing pills with our FIP warriors instead.

CURED 2021 ~ Thumbelina

Thumbelina came to us as a wee baby with her brothers Phoenix and Blaze. She was so tiny when I first saw her and gave her the most fitting name! She was moved three times during her kittenhood and I really think the stress of those moves triggered the FIP. She was doing really well until her brothers got adopted and within a week or two I noticed she was losing weight. An ultrasound revealed a growth on her intestines and she underwent exploratory surgery at Town n Country Animal Hospital in Burlington, NC. She appeared to be doing better the day after surgery and was eating again but then 2 days later she began refusing food and needed syringe feeding. A sample that was taken from the growth was sent out to a specialist and it was determined she had Dry FIP. It took a month of syringe feedings around the clock to keep her alive. She was so picky about food and I probably bought one of every canned food brand there is. Finally after about a month she started eating on her own and finally started responding to treatment. She was getting daily injections (we decided to do pills for our FIP cats after Thumbelina because of the stress that's involved).

CURED 2020 ~ Ranger

What is FIP?

"Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus are found in the gastrointestinal tract and do not cause significant disease. These are referred to as feline enteric coronavirus (FeCV). Cats infected with FeCV usually do not show any symptoms during the initial viral infection, but may occasionally experience brief bouts of diarrhea and/or mild upper respiratory signs from which they recover spontaneously. FeCV-infected cats usually mount an immune response through which antibodies against the virus are produced within 7-10 days of infection. In approximately 10 percent of cats infected with FeCV, one or more mutations of the virus can alter its biological behavior, resulting in white blood cells becoming infected with virus and spreading it throughout the cat’s body. When this occurs, the virus is referred to as the FIPV. An intense inflammatory reaction to FIPV occurs around vessels in the tissues where these infected cells locate, often in the abdomen, kidney, or brain. It is this interaction between the body’s own immune system and the virus that is responsible for the development of FIP. Once a cat develops clinical FIP, the disease is usually progressive and almost always fatal without therapy that has recently become available, but that has yet to be approved to treat FIP in cats by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (see below). To our knowledge, coronaviruses cannot be passed from infected cats to humans."

www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-infectious-peritonitis