Today, March 27th, we brought our sweet little kitty, Toast, to the vet and were then promptly sent to CSU’s emergency vet department.

Toast was diagnosed with a feline form of Coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) that more than 90% of all cats carry and will never present with any symptoms. In about 5-10% of cats, and in Toast’s case, the virus can mutate to FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) in which symptoms begin to appear as the virus attacks the body. Only about 1% need to be hospitalized, and Toast did. Not long ago this diagnosis was a death sentence, and still can be. There are 3 forms of FIP; effusive/wet, non-effusive/dry, and neurological. Toast has wet FIP which causes inflammation in his blood vessels not allowing them to absorb water properly leading to lethargy, not eating or drinking, dehydration, fever, and free fluid in the abdomen. Each form presents differently and has different potential outcomes. Thankfully, effusive FIP has shown the most promising outcomes with treatment and has the lowest relapse rate.

Toast is not out of the woods yet as he is overnight in the ICU receiving IV fluids and beginning his FIP specific treatment. We should know/see if his treatment is working in 24-48hrs.

We had hard conversations regarding Toast’s care, quality of life provided treatment goes well, and the financial strain it will cause us. To know Toast is to love him (truly he loves love!) and we couldn’t stomach not giving him a chance. He’ll be 8 months tomorrow! The treatment for FIP is new(er) in the US and is extremely expensive on top of the cost of care he is currently receiving. Toast’s treatment course is 84 days.

The world is strange place these days and financial stability is tough for many. If anything, we are thankful for the prayers and support for Toast, the help from the staff at Banfield and CSU, and any donation we receive. We hope fellow cat owners are aware and proactive if suspecting symptoms of FIP.

Toast (Mr. Toasty, Toasty, Toasty man, etc) was well received by all the vets he saw today. His big eyes are full of love and we hope we can give him the love he deserves for many years to come.