Feline coronavirus

Hello vet! I need advice. I did a diarrhea PCR panel on my 7 month old kitten who has had chronic diarrhea. It came back positive for feline coronavirus. What do I do? I know there is no cure for this but I have another cat and she is now exposed she is 3 years old. She has done a course of panacur and metronidazole while waiting for results and now her stools are finally firm. Her abdomen is always bloated and shes gassy, lethargic but bursts of energy, eating good. I know it can contract to FIP. I need advice.. Edit... Metronidazole was finished on Wednesday and already extreme diarrhea again. What can I do? Whats some advice? I'm so nervous it'll turn to FIP. I should add when she got spayed which is when the diarrhea started, I did test for FIV and FLV and she was negative. So at least no compromised immune system...I feel so bad for her she sleeps so much and she should be an active kitten... We are also trying a hydrolyzed protein diet in case diarrhea isn't from that. But I need 2nd opinion

Hello - there are two forms of Feline corona virus.  FCoV is really common in cats, to the extent that most cats (Dr Emi Barker of Bristol University, an expert in the field, says over 90%) have it.  Sometimes FCoV positive cats might mutate into Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus, FIPV, which is not thought to spread directly from cat to cat.  Most cases of FCoV and FIPV are 'self limiting' with no or vague clinical signs, such as mild diarrhoea. Therefore, a positive test for them would not be particularly useful or enlightening.   However, 1-5% of infected cats can develop Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which is a severe form of the virus in which the cat might, for example, get an exudate in the body cavities.  This form is fatal. Now, I am not so clear from your message what tests have been done here - or indeed, who by - or whether they are reliable, or what has found.  Feline Coronavirus turns into FIP quite rarely and this can be associated with factors linked to the virus, the cat and the environment.  It is worth asking your vet whether or not they feel you should be worried about your particular cat.  It may turn out to be nothing at all to worry about in your cats' case.

However, you sound to be concerned about the amount that your kitten is sleeping, and that she has diarrhoea which may then cause dehydration, for example.  Anyone with a kitten showing these signs should take them to a vet.  Coronavirus is one of many possible causes.

Your vet will give you their best judgement and reasoning as to whether the signs and the test result are linked in this case, and they may discuss how to find out more.

So my vet did a diarrhea PCR test through idexx. That's when the positive feline coronavirus came up. He also had me do a round of panacur. So anytime she gets off the metronidazole she goes straight back to diarrhea and she can't be on that forever. Hills ID food not working either. We are trying a hydrolyzed protein diet but do you think we shud go to that extreme already? Or what else would you suggest to do to make her belly and diarrhea better? I know she's sleeping more because she don't feel good but she also hates the food. How long do the cats have this virus? My vet said to eliminate stress which she's not stressed. But it popped off after she got spayed a month ago or more.

I think that you should ask your vet more about recognising and preventing stress in cats.  It is incredibly common for people to tell me that their cat is not stressed when their vet thinks that it is; there is simply too little support for owners in looking at the signs and causes of stress in cats (cats are predators - if they feel stressed, then they hide it, making it incredibly difficult for most people to spot).  Pancreatitis is an underdiagnosed cause of diarrhoea in some cats and it is also associated with hidden stress.  There are many articles in our blog about stress and you can check the International Cat Care website for more information.  As you know yourself, most people  can cope with a few stress factors in their life but there is a threshold level at which signs seem to show - and that is different for everyone.  The process or pain associated with the spey might have tipped the balance here. How many cats are there in your houehold?  Are there litter trays and hideyholes for each of them, and can each cat get to their food without passing through another cats territory?  Assuming that your vet is correct, simple changes might make a huge difference. However, this really needs to be disccused within context of the patient, so its a good idea to read arpund the subject but also to keep talking to your vet.