Agnes was diagnosed with Effusive (Wet) FIP on December 3. FIP, especially wet FIP, is nearly 100% fatal. Most kittens with wet FIP succumb to the disease in a matter of weeks. Miraculously, Agnes is still surviving nine weeks after her diagnosis!

Agnes began showing symptoms a few weeks after her spay surgery. Her foster mom noticed that she was breathing very heavily. We did a chest x-ray which showed fluid in the thorax, around the heart and lungs. She had a fever (which resolved quickly on antibiotics). The vet pulled a few hundred CC of lightly yellow-tinged fluid from her chest on December 3, leading the vet to suspect that Agnes had FIP.

On December 12, we had more fluid removed from Agnes' chest and did an in-office Rivalta Test with plain vinegar. It jellyfished and did not disperse, which is a likely positive Rivalta result. We did not do any other bloodwork or labwork at the time to conserve money for the rescue of adoptable kittens.

Once we had been given a fairly definitive fatal diagnosis, and since she was still doing well other than her difficulty breathing caused by the fluid in her chest, we took Agnes home for hospice care until she declined.

But, there has been no decline! On December 24, we took her in for another chest tap, and she had only a small amount of fluid in her chest, so the vet did not pull it out.

Her breathing rate has been slightly above average, but not as bad as it was when her chest was full of fluid. She is still eating. She's put on at least a pound of weight. Her adult teeth are coming in. She's a little slower than your average six-month-old kitten, but otherwise doing okay.

We have been treating Agnes with as close to Dr. Addie's protocol as we could: 5mg Prednisolone daily and 0.5mL of 60IU human interferon alpha daily. She also gets vitamins and supplements to help keep her immune system strong.

At eight weeks post-diagnosis, we decided it was time to do a "junior panel" of bloodwork. Those results are surprising. They appear to all be within normal ranges, and not what we would expect to see with a wet FIP diagnosis eight weeks ago. It is possible she was misdiagnosed, or she is somehow fighting the disease!

House of Meows' vet suggests staying the course with the Dr. Addie protocol for another month and seeing where we are at then. She's also surprised by these unexpected results!

Agnes is a foster kitten at HOuse of MEows - Home Rescue. The reality is that she is unadoptable due to her diagnosis, but, to HOME, every life matters. She is still thriving, so HOME is still helping her fight. If you can, please consider donating to her treatment. Her medications cost about $80 for a month and each therapeutic chest tap is about $150. HOME is a 501(c)3 and your donations are tax deductible.

House of Meows Rescue

House of Meows Rescue (HOME) is a 501c3 non profit organization which rescues cats and dogs from kill shelters in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to find them loving homes.

Fundraising Campaigns

Sampson's Shattered Pelvis

Tiny Tim's Hip Surgery

Agnes' FIP Fight

Emergency Medical Bills