Kenji - a journey through FIP
Meet this ginger warrior, Kenji. His FIP story is still unfolding, but we wanted to share what we have done and learned about this mysterious disease.
Kenji and his brother Nubit are two of the cuddliest and happiest kitties you will ever meet. But their journey to get here both physically and emotionally has been one of the toughest we have ever seen. These adorable brothers were originally planned to be part of our first ever transport of kittens from the overcrowded shelter system in south Texas, slated to arrive in June of 2023. At the last minute, they were pulled from the transport because Nubit developed a case of ringworm. They were held back and treated and they recovered very well! They did so well that they came back on the next transport arriving in Milwaukee from Corpus Christi in September of 2023. The boys were absolutely loving life for their first few months here - enjoying the company of many other kittens and cats, and scaling the poles and cat shelves at the shelter every day!
One day in November, we noticed that Kenji was gaining a little weight in his mid section. At first we thought it was a simple case of overeating, but as he became less active and more distant, we also watched his belly continue to grow. We took him into the vet to have him evaluated, and they suspected FIP. Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIPV) is a serious disease caused by the mutation of a feline coronavirus. This only affects about 10% of cats exposed to the feline enteric coronavirus (FeCV), but our sweet Kenji was one of them.
We whisked Kenji to foster care and waited for some more definitive answers from diagnostic testing at our vet, and we started doing research. Once we were sure Kenji had progressed to the FIPV stage, we dove into all available resources and materials online to learn more and see what we could do to help. The FIPV stage is not contagious to other cats or humans. I had been reading about novel coronavirus therapies, including antiviral treatments, so I wanted to learn more. We found the experimental drug called simply GS-441524, and we set out to see how we could get some for Kenji. After more research, we found an online group called FIP Warriors that could help us determine if Kenji was a candidate for this antiviral treatment.
He was indeed a candidate and this group helped us get the medicine GS-441524 very quickly so he could start treatment. Kenji was placed on this antiviral therapy and has had constant monitoring of vitals, physiological markers, and blood work analysis. The FIP Warriors also guided his entire treatment journey by reviewing information on his vitals and physiological markers daily, and blood work in monthly intervals. They guided his clearance to where he is now in the 12-week Observational Phase.
Relapses of FIPV during the 12-week post-treatment observation period do occur and there is no simple blood test to predict when a cure has occurred, or a relapse is possible. Relapses usually involve infections that have escaped to the central nervous system (brain, spine, eyes) during treatment for wet or dry FIP not accompanied by neurological or ocular signs. Continued treatment with GS-441524 is recommended if there is a relapse. A relapse does not have to be neurological. It can be wet or dry.
Once a kitty comes through the Observational phase without relapse, they will have a ”cure date”. A cat may resume vaccinations one year after their cure date. A kitty that gets FIPV after being cured is considered a “reinfection” versus a “relapse”. The chances of this are very low - less than 1%. Because this is rare but statistically possible, it is good to be able to recognize any physiological and/or neurological changes as this will be critical to catch an infection early.
More information on FIP, antiviral treatments, and current research studies: