FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) is a well-known fatal feline disease for which there is no effective treatment or cure. Now we are told that research has come up with a modern antiviral drug which is an effective treatment but which will take a number of years to come to the market.
The research team lead by Dr. Yunjeong Kim at Kansas State University and Dr. Niels Pedersen at University of California, Davis intend to find a cure or to extend the lifespan and quality of life of cats suffering from FIP.
In their trails seven out of twenty cats suffering from FIP in various stages and forms remained in remission after their antiviral treatment. They say that most cats not suffering from neurological disease can be put into remission with the drug. We don’t have a name for the drug or its composition. Maybe that’s secret. Certainly a cure for FIP would be massive news for cat health.
That’s about all I can report on this because the researchers have not disclosed an awful lot. We are short on facts.
However, the very possibility of a cure for FIP will delight many. It is a devastating disease killing an estimated 1-5 percent of shelter cats.
Source: Phys.org (except for the two images).
This is wonderful news — having a treatment that gives even a smidgen of hope for a cat or kitten suffering from the disease is a thousand times better than having absolutely no hope.
When two of my cats were suffering from FIP a couple of years ago, I was a frequent visitor to the website sockfip.org, which had a good deal of information about Dr. Pedersen’s research. I’m so excited to hear about this new development that I’m even going to donate to his research at U.C. Davis. Thanks for the update!