| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 2954.1 | Ask the Pro's | BIMINI::SPINGLER |  | Wed Oct 18 1989 09:44 | 11 | 
|  |     
    
    THe best source for this information is your own vet or the vet
    of the cat sitter, or both.  
    
    They should be able to give you good information.
    
    Feline fine,
    
    Sue & panther & Spot
    
 | 
| 2954.2 |  | HDLITE::FEASE | Andrea Midtmoen Fease | Wed Oct 18 1989 13:12 | 14 | 
|  |     Hi Sue,
    
         My vets say that it can't be transferred by cat-to-human-to-cat
    contact.  Her vet says that it can.
    
         I would think if it were that contagious that *all* cats touched
    by vets would get it, as vets don't sterilize/burn their clothes
    between touching FIP cats and non-FIP cats.
    
         Don't know what to do.  I certainly don't want her kitties getting
    sick, but I never heard of it being transmitted this way.
    
                                         - Andrea
    
 | 
| 2954.3 | Just my opinion | TUNER::JENKINS |  | Wed Oct 18 1989 15:33 | 28 | 
|  |     Andrea,
    
    My vet has told me that there isn't truly enough known about titer
    counts to be certain that a high titer means FIP.  As known, only
    a biopsy of organ tissue that appears affected can be certain for
    FIP.
    
    I would think that if someone came into your house to take care
    of your kittens they could manage not to transmit anything home
    by using various precautions that may or may not be necessary.
    
    First, they could change their clothes when they get home and
    immediately put those clothes into the washer.  Secondly they
    should wash their hands and spray their shoes with Roccal D which
    is a very strong disinfectant.  My vet highly recommends this. 
    I too had a kitten that once exhibited a high titer but it was not
    FIP and her titer was back to normal within one month.  Certain
    sanitary precautions can be taken and everything should be fine.
    
    If you wish to talk to another vet call Cornell since they have
    a research department for studying FIP.  I think you will find though
    that a different opinion is given by just about every vet you talk
    to.
    
    P.S. you might want to try to test your cats at another lab just
    for comparison.
    
    Nancy
 | 
| 2954.4 |  | WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JO | set home/cat_max=infinity | Fri Oct 20 1989 12:58 | 15 | 
|  |     Andrea,
    
    There was an article about FIP in one of the cat magazines in the
    last month or so.  The article stated that FIP is not a hardy virus
    and cannot survive outside the host.  Everything that I have heard
    and read agrees with this.  
    
    If your sitter is concerned, she could spray herself down with
    disinfectant, either the one that Nancy mentioned, or with Nolvasan
    (which I prefer).  
    
    I also know of cats who have lived with FIP positive cats and yet
    never caught the disease.
    
    Jo
 | 
| 2954.5 |  | AIADM::FEASE | Andrea Midtmoen Fease | Mon Oct 30 1989 10:21 | 19 | 
|  |     Hi Jo,
    
         Well, my other sitter did a *wonderful* job with the boys; they
    were happy and healthy when we got home last night.
    
         I didn't think the FIP virus could survive outside a host, but
    since it is still so unknown, I can understand why my first sitter
    didn't want to take the chance.  And as it worked out my second sitter
    was able to take care of the boys for the whole time, so everything
    came out okay.
    
         I know what you're saying; Loki and Bigfoot are positive, Fluffy
    was always negative.  But I guess Fluffy had something else wrong with
    him, some kind of bone marrow disorder.  We'll never know, but at least
    he didn't linger on or suffer.
    
         Had a wonderful vacation, and now it's off to a new job!
    
                                      - Andrea
 |