Supportive Care
Good supportive care is critical to a successful treatment outcome, especially in the first week or two. Below are some tips, but please be sure to consult with your vet or treatment advisor if you have any questions! Not all cats will need all or any of the supportive care listed here.
Support from your vet can be a critical component of successful treatment.
We recommend that you get a checkup/bloodwork every 4-6 weeks during treatment and observation to help assess your kitty's recovery.
If your kitty is breathng fast or has labored breathing:
It could be a sign of pleural effusion -- fluid surrounding the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. If this is the case, you should have the fluid drained -- this may require an ER visit, and may need to be done a couple of times before fluid accumulation stops.
If your kitty has abdominal effusion:
Do not drain it unless it is interfering with breathing or other critical bodily functions. We don't want to lose the proteins whcih will absorb back into the body during treatment, and draining a large volume of fluid at once can cause hypovolemic shock. If draining is necessary, try to limit it to about a third of the effusion volume.
Nutritional Support
It is critical that your kitty get enough calories, not just to support their recovery but because cats can get a serious liver disease if they stop eating for more than a few days. This condition is called “hepatic lipidosis” or “fatty liver” and is most common in overweight cats, although it can occur in any cat. When a cat goes without normal feeding, their body starts using fat for energy. If food isn’t provided in time, the fat can overwhelm the cat’s ability to break it down. The fat will then build up in the liver until it causes serious liver disease. We don't need to add any more complications to deal with on top of FIP, so it is important to find ways to get your cat nutrition if they are not eating well. Typically this is an issue for a short time at the beginning of treatment.
It is critical that your kitty get enough calories, not just to support their recovery but because cats can get a serious liver disease if they stop eating for more than a few days. This condition is called “hepatic lipidosis” or “fatty liver” and is most common in overweight cats, although it can occur in any cat. When a cat goes without normal feeding, their body starts using fat for energy. If food isn’t provided in time, the fat can overwhelm the cat’s ability to break it down. The fat will then build up in the liver until it causes serious liver disease. We don't need to add any more complications to deal with on top of FIP, so it is important to find ways to get your cat nutrition if they are not eating well. Typically this is an issue for a short time at the beginning of treatment.
Tips and Tricks to get kitty eating:
First of all, many FIP cats are nauseated, so ask your vet for an anti-nausea medication, such as Cerenia, or Ondansetron (Zofran). You can also ask for an appetite stimulant -- Mirataz is a safe, easy to apply transdermal gel that you rub on their ear. Another great trick is to enhance the appeal of the food, for example warming food to make it more fragrant or sprinkling Fortiflora (a probiotic, see supplies page) or brewers yeast on food -- these smell and taste great to cats and can encourage them to eat more. This is also a time when it's ok to offer as much of their favorite foods or treats they are willing to eat until they are back to a normal appetite. Gerber Chicken Baby Food, Churu, tuna, and boiled chicken are all items that many cats will still show interest in even when their appetite is low.
If your cat is not eating at all, and especially if they have gone for an extended period of time without eating, consider asking your veterinarian to place a feeding tube. A nasogastric or esophegeal tube can be a easy and less stressful way to get nutrition into your cat temporarily. In either case, the cat can still eat on their own if they want, and once their appetite has returned, the tube can be easily removed. This can be a life-saver to get your cat over the hump until the antivirals have kicked in.
If your cat is not eating much, try to maximize the amount of calories in what they do eat. Ask your veterinarian for high-calorie convalescent food, such as Royal Canin Recovery, or Hills A/D formula foods. A fairly high-calorie non-prescription food is Royal Canin Mother and Baby Cat (both wet and dry). You can also purchase high-calorie gels (see supplies page) to get a few extra calories.
You can also syringe feed your cat -- a good explanation and demonstration is in this video:
Hydration Support
If your kitty is not drinking water or getting enough in food, they can become dehydrated, which can quickly cause serious problems. Once their appetite and intake revert to normal they likely won't need extra hydration, but in the meantime they may need a little help. Here are some suggestions for keeping your kitty hydrated while they are recovering:
• Add extra water to kitty's wet food, and encourage them to eat more wet food than dry
• Use a hydration aide like Purina Hydracare
• Ask your vet to prescribe fluids to administer sub-cutaneously at home.
IV fluid administration by your vet may be required for serious dehydration.
Temperature Support
f your kitty is running a fever, administering sub-cutaneous fluids may help to cool them off. Depending on the situation, anti-inflammatories may also be used to help bring the fever down. However, it is very important to use these under direction from a vet as serious side effects and drug interactions can occur. NEVER administer human medications used for fever unless directed to by a vet! Some are very dangerous for a cat!
If your kitty's temperature is low, you can help keep your kitty warm in the following ways:
• Keep room temperature warm
• Provide a hot water bottle
• Electric heating pad
NEVER place a cat who is unable to move themselves on a heating pad, as serious burns from "hot-spotting" can occur!
Please make sure that your vet and treatment advisor are aware if your kitty is not maintaining temperature or is running a fever! Typically FIP-induced fever breaks within 12-72 hours of beginning treatment, continued fevers can indicate that adjustments need to be made or other causes need to be investigated.