FIP Story: In May 2007, I lost my soul mate and beloved furry best friend TJ age 15 to liver cancer. I was truly heartbroken and didn’t know how I would ever get over it or ever have another pet again due to the pain of the loss. Well I lasted 4 days. There was a cat that needed a home. Minstrel. For about 6-8 years this cat had wandered from house to house looking for food and comfort because the person who was supposed to be looking after him never let him in the house. My mum asked if I could have him. We got home I let him out of his carrier had a quick glance around and within 2 minutes was sat on my knee purring with contentment. His purr was so loud and made you smile. He was as playful as a kitten and loved attention. A month later Alfie joined us and then in December Max arrived. However Max came from his breeder petite, with constant diarrhea (for 4 months) and sneezes. Minstrel caught the sneezes which were fierce and body shaking and both Max and Minstrel went to the vets for a round of antibiotics. The sneezes stopped but Max’s diarrhea continued for the next four months. In May I noticed Minstrel had lost weight. I had ‘dropped the ball’. I was so worried about baby Max’s diarrhea that I had missed Minstrels weight loss. We went to the vets and they gave him his annual booster and said don’t worry about the weight loss. After repeated trips and ‘don’t worry’ about the weight loss comments it wasn’t until September when he appeared quite emaciated that the vet decided to do some serious investigating. At first they found calicivirus and stomatitis and started Feline Omega Interferon and antibiotics. A month later the weight loss was more extreme but his stomatitis had improved a little. Bloods showed slight increase in WBC and alteration of albumin/globulin ratio.. Pushing for further tests the Coronavirus was discovered plus a tumor growth diagnosed as possible lymphoma. Minstrel was diagnosed with FIP and given prednisolone to shrink the suspected cancer. After a week on prednisolone and after starting my own research I realized the risk of using steroids if misdiagnosed. Minstrel continued to deteriorate. There was NO fluid, NO eye problems, NO problems with gait or balance, NO temperature. Nothing indicative of FIP wet or dry other than weightloss, the coronavirus and change in albumin. My vet kept saying having coronavirus means the cat has FIP and will die no matter how much I explained to the contrary. My Vet refused to send bloods to Glasgow or consider the possibility that Minstrel was dying from the lymphoma not FIP and asked me not to question his judgment. We were sent to an emergency vets for IV Fluids where they aspirated Minstrels tummy as it had started to swell and kept him for 3 more days because they don’t discharge over the weekend. When I picked him up the vet didn’t even have the courtesy to see me, discuss any treatment or what they did over his time there. We got home more poorly, another £700 out of pocket (~$1300) and had missed the last days with my baby. We went to a new vet (our now current vet) the next day who diagnosed severe jaundice, and I had to put Minstrel to sleep the following day. I am convinced Minstrel died of Wet FIP but was mis-diagnosed at the start and pushed into FIP from vaccines, stress and steroid use. I tried to give him a life he deserved but in the end he died because I believed he should have vaccinations and regular veterinary care….. he’d always been healthy before that and I wished I had never vaccinated him. The knowledge I gained from Minstrels suffering will help me save my boys Alfie and Max. I would never have known the jeopardy they were in had Minstrel not got sick. Thank-you dear boy for helping me heal in the short time I was blessed with you. I promise I will continue to learn and save your brothers. We miss you little Tiger boy xxx