Fip -

Yesterday I had to put my kitten, Blackjack to sleep from a month-long battle with FIP.

It just so f***ing sucks. :-(

Since you guys are animal lovers, you would understand the heartbreak I went through to make the decision to ease his suffering.

I miss him. He is less than a year old and one of the greatest cats I ever had. My other two cats are weird in their own way, but Blackjack was special. :-(


INFO: Before I get flamed about having other cats in the household and keeping them separate or whatever you disagree with me about...learn about FIP first. FIP is caused by a MUTATION of coronavirus. Almost ALL cats (90%) from shelters/rescues/multicat households have the virus. 1 out of 5000 of those cats with the virus has the mutation, causing FIP. It hits the young kittens and the eldery. Unfortunately, it is 100% fatal. My two cats are fine, and most likely had the coronavirus to begin with anyway since they both are adopted from shelters and much older. Blackjack came from a shelter that allowed free-roaming cats to be all over with each other...that's where I suspect that he got it. I only had him for 5 months.

I have so much love for cats and animals. Roy and I are going to wait a little while before adopting out another cat. There's way too many cats that need homes and loving in shelters. If we never adopted Blackjack, he would have died without any love or owners. It was all worth it.

Rest in peace Blackjack. Hope Jamie (my 13 year old cat who had to put to sleep after 2 1/2 years with Mast Cell Tumor in '07) is taking care of you.

Sorry to hear that

I hope you able to adopt more cats when you feel ready to. They're lovable companions to everyone. My roommate has 2 cats and they are spoiled and always want to sleep on my lap

Yes, I agree there is too many cats and dogs out there, and not enough homes. I hope by neuter and spay, that will reduce the population in the animal shelter and can have chances to be adopted.

My family went through the same thing when they put 2 of our dogs to sleep.

The first one was our favorite... a Miniature Schnauzer. She had bone cancer in her left shoulder. (Her x-ray showed a huge black "empty" spot where her shoulder was.) She was in constant pain. So, we put her to sleep.

Sorry for your loss.

Calvin said:

Sorry to hear that

I hope you able to adopt more cats when you feel ready to. They're lovable companions to everyone. My roommate has 2 cats and they are spoiled and always want to sleep on my lap

Yes, I agree there is too many cats and dogs out there, and not enough homes. I hope by neuter and spay, that will reduce the population in the animal shelter and can have chances to be adopted.

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first of all, i am very sorry for your loss.

i am a huge fan of cats, first, and animals too. i agree with calvin's bold posts.

=(

I'm sorry for the loss of your cat. It is heart breaking when you lose a furry member of your family.

My condolence.

I have one friend who is the kind of person saying: "It's just a cat"... I will never be able to understand his POV but he is still my friend... A cat is a member of your family! You went to a shelter to get it, to give him a family, no matter how long the cat was with you. Either 5 months or 12 years. It doesn't matter! You lost a member of your family and it is your right to grieve for your cat!

My thoughts are with you

JamieLynn

I am sorry to hear about your loss of your cat. Do remember the good memories. Your cat is always part of your family.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

JamieLynn said:

I have one friend who is the kind of person saying: "It's just a cat"... I will never be able to understand his POV but he is still my friend... A cat is a member of your family! You went to a shelter to get it, to give him a family, no matter how long the cat was with you. Either 5 months or 12 years. It doesn't matter! You lost a member of your family and it is your right to grieve for your cat!

My thoughts are with you

JamieLynn

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You got it right on the spot. Blackjack also suffered a nasal fistula, which is a hole in his nasal bone from staph infections. We have spent a lot of money on this ball of fur. We don't care how much it cost, we'll pay for it.

We also look at the positive side....he probably would die and be discarded if he had stayed at the shelter.

Calvin - I most definitely will adopt more cats, there's no question about it. In fact, Roy says he wants to have 5....we have a house now, so we can have as many cats as we want. Of course, we're not going overboard and become hoarders.

Thank you all for your kind words.

Oh no I am sorry about your loss sweet kitten!

I can understand your pain.

Please keep in mind, you and Roy nurtured Blackjack & gave him love and a home. Blackjack is not gone, just gone beyond.

I have to agree with JamieLynn. Animals are not just pets. My three furkids are my furkids, I don't have skinkids. Heaven knows how much I spend on toys, equipment and things just for the furkids.

I am very sorry. I love all my pets too and it is hard when one must die.

I'm really sorry to hear about your poor kitten. May she rest in peace.
(hugs)

I'm sorry for your loss.

RIP Beatuiful Kitten <3

I am terribly sorry about your kitten. Life is not fair. I realize that many cats and dogs need a home.

I have a strong believe that cat/dog food cans are not healthy anymore. I was told that we have to buy raw meats for our pets from now on. My sister's dog is a vegetarian for 14 years with no health problem, and he is still healthy. I think that I am going to try to feed my dog somehow with these specific foods, not from the dog/cat cans.

I learned that these raw/veggie foods help them to build up a stronger immune system because many pet food companies added with chemicals in the food procession - probably for the preservation which is not good anymore. (I hate to tell you that I also learned that many dead cows on the farm with unknown disease and some died from a natural cause are sent to the food procession for the pet cans only. Some huge farms, some farmers picked up about ten dead cows per day. I'm shocked.)

webexplorer said:

I have a strong believe that cat/dog food cans are not healthy anymore. I was told that we have to buy raw meats for our pets from now on. My sister's dog is a vegetarian for 14 years with no health problem, and he is still healthy. I think that I am going to try to feed my dog somehow with these specific foods, not from the dog/cat cans.

I learned that these raw/veggie foods help them to build up a stronger immune system because many pet food companies added with chemicals in the food procession - probably for the preservation which is not good anymore. (I hate to tell you that I also learned that many dead cows on the farm with unknown disease and some died from a natural cause are sent to the food procession for the pet cans only. Some huge farms, some farmers picked up about ten dead cows per day. I'm shocked.)

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Sorry to be blunt, but what does this have to do with my cat that died of FIP? It has NOTHING to do with his diet.

LadySekhmet said:

Sorry to be blunt, but what does this have to do with my cat that died of FIP? It has NOTHING to do with his diet.

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Oh no, I didn't say about your cat's diet. Nobody is fault.

I learned that a big difference between a disease cow and a healthy cow. Many manufacturers take the dead cows with a disease to be processed and sold them directly to several pet stores. The manufacturers sold healthy meats to our food markets. (It is the same thing for chickens, pigs, etc. in the field.) This is what I have a hard time to believe that they are still doing it legally.


I suspect that, in my theory, the cats and dogs ate the meat (pet food cans) that possibly caused their immune system poor. Many vets know, but they really cannot say it. Some vets are willing to tell some people that a raw meat is the best. Now, I cook meats for my dog since a month. Sometimes, I give her some dry foods.

I looked up the FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)). It says,

"Is my cat at risk for developing FIP?

Any cat that carries any coronavirus is potentially at risk for developing FIP. However, cats with weak immune systems are most likely to develop the disease, including kittens, cats already infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and geriatric cats. Most cats that develop FIP are under two years of age, but cats of any age may develop the disease."

Now, this quote above says, "... to develop the disease... with infected with feline leukemia virus." A pet has a strong immune system that would fight any kind of diseases. Leukemia was caused by built-up too many white cells. Leukemia is a cancer that has no cure treatment. This quote does not mention what is the exact cause to develop the disease. Now, we know that it has to do with the immune system. (Healthy food that makes the immune system stronger.)

At first, I didn't understand what was going on with our pets. I researched it and discovered a few new things that we didn't know about. I also signed up FDA newsletters once a while like peanut recalls for pets, a lot more on the list that I haven't heard of. That's why I am afraid to tell you that it is sound impossible. I had to inform my friends and some people about it so that we have to learn some new things from now on.

Of course, I do feel so bad for your cat and my dog, too. Recently, she was 4 years old. I am still angry myself that I lost my favorite dog because the food companies are doing a dirty business. FIP is for cat issue only. My dog had other type disease that the vet still does not know why - she had too many white cells. I think that we wouldn't walk away the problem. Wouldn't you mind to let other pet owners to know what is really happening out there especially the pet foods?

Okay, now I'm slightly mad because you're taking over my thread about grieving of a lost pet and you're talking about diet. I would be more than happy if you just said, "i'm so sorry for your loss."

Now you're telling information that you really don't know much about.

FeLV is a VIRUS. It's no way ever a cancer. FeLV cannot be cured, but can be managed. Cats with FeLV should never live in a multi-cat household because it is spread by secretions, litterboxes, etc. I've seen some cats live for quite a long time with FeLV. It's all about management and not stressing out the cat.

FIP is WORSE than FeLV. I would rather take an FeLV or FIV infected cat over any cat with FIP. All of these diseases has NOTHING to do with the diet of the cat. For dogs, same thing for heartworms, kennel cough, or other diseases - NONE of these have to do with diet of the dog.

I think you're misunderstanding the statement when you said, "this quote...."etc etc. Blackjack does not have FeLV. He got FIP because the coronavirus mutated. Almost all cats already have coronavirus, but 1 out of 5000 cats develop a mutation of the disease. If the cat has immune issues, such as FeLV (which is a virus that can cause immune issues) it's MORE likely to develop FIP. It doesn't mean they will always get the disease. For a cat that's infected with FeLV, you would be more careful about where the cat is. Should never be allowed outside, should not be boarded at a hospital and should not hang out with a cat that's sick with a cold as it would cause further issues.

Furthermore, FIP comes in two types..wet and dry. Cats with dry FIP usually live longer and have better prognosis. Wet FIP is the worse. They develop fluids in their abdomen. Trust me, it was not pleasant to touch a cat with a belly full of fluids, however I do rub the tummy because it does make Blackjack a little more comfortable.

The USDA and FDA has strict regulations for cat and dog food. Just buy a brand of dog food that is USDA approved meat for human consumption, the dog will be fine.
I'm not going to go on and on about the food because that really has nothing to do with the thread. You believe what you want to believe, and I'll believe what I believe. Let's just leave it at that.

I didn't realize that I was taking over your thread, and I am sorry about that. Our pet are in the heaven, and we will see them in the heaven someday. Thank you for your explanation. God bless them.

I am sorry for your loss. Please do visit Rainbows Bridge Home Page and it is a lovely site.

I'm very sorry for the loss of your beloved kitty.