Shared with kind permission of EndFIP®
Yazının tercümesi için Bkz. https://www.diyabetikkedi.com/ulusal-kedi-sagligi-ayi-yavru-ve-yetiskin-kedi-koronavirusu/
Is Your Heart Melting? Most of us could spend an eternity looking at cute kittens. Whether they are napping, playing, or doing other cat things, the sight of these purrrrfect fur balls can definitely melt a heart. In the last few days, we released couple of posts discussing stud cats and queens so we want to end the Valentine’s Day weekend addressing kittens and feline coronavirus.
EndFIP® believes that prevention is better than cure. We aspire to encourage people to respect the seriousness of FCoV infection and inspire them to create lasting solutions to prevent cat daddies and mommies, and their pawsitively adorable babies from becoming infected with feline coronavirus.
Feline coronavirus (FCoV) does not cross the placenta to the unborn kitten. Kittens are born FCoV free and are protected from FCoV infection by antibodies they receive in their mother’s milk, when these maternally derived antibody wanes at between 5 and 7 weeks of age, the kittens become susceptible to FCoV infection and the consequent risk of FIP.
Please note that it is inadvisable to FCoV antibody test kittens younger than 10 weeks old. Kittens under 10 weeks of age may be infected but some are too young to have produced antibodies of their own. Most kittens can make antibodies by 10 weeks of age, so 10-16 weeks is the best time to test. Very young kittens may give a positive result not because they are infected, but because they have antibodies from their mother’s milk.
We can’t help but LOVE kittens. With their wee round heads and tiny paws, they quickly grow from unbalanced tumbling to standing up strong and ready to face the world. The best gift of love we can give these precious bundles of cuteness is to learn true facts about feline coronavirus and FIP, and to share our knowledge with other cat lovers. Below is a bit of information to get started.
Feline coronavirus (FCoV), which causes FIP, is shed in the feces. FCoV infection occurs via oral-fecal route, therefore, your best chance of preventing FCoV infection of your cats, minimizing the chances of FIP occurring or eliminating FCoV from your cats is: preventing your cats coming into contact with infected cat feces. It is best if cats go outside to defecate (if it is safe from them to do so). However, in most cases this is not possible thus scrupulous cat litter tray(s) hygiene is a must.
In most instances, it is unlikely that cats could become infected by directly contacting an FCoV infected cat, even by close contact, such as fighting, mutual grooming or sharing food bowls. However, FCoV is occasionally (rarely) shed in the saliva for a few hours early in infection, so in situations such as boarding catteries or rescue shelters, where there may be a lot of newly infected cats, care must be taken not to transmit virus via contaminated food bowls or inhaling sneezed droplets.
FCoV is a very contagious virus, infecting nearly all cats who encounter it, the second major route of infection is the unintentional exposure of uninfected cats to tiny particles of infected feces on people’s shoes or clothing, hands, poop scoops, etc. The infected cat likely swallows the virus when grooming, or when tiny particles of feces contaminate their food, it is for this reason that using a non-tracking litter and keeping food bowls in different rooms is highly recommended.
Litter tray hygiene helps prevent FCoV transmission and minimizes the dose of virus to which a cat is exposed to. Your kitties will LOVE you even more if you provide them with clean litter trays.
Kittens come into the world free of this vile virus. Please help them have the long and healthy life they deserve. Do not invite pain and heartache into theirs and your life. FIP doesn’t discriminate and it is merciless. Prevent kittens from being infected by FCoV.
Want to learn how? Visit: www.endfip.com/shelters/ | www.endfip.com/breeders-101/
This Valentine’s Day weekend, EndFIP® is sharing a message of love by informing and continuing to impart worldwide awareness and understanding of feline coronavirus and respect for the seriousness of FCoV infection.
Quite simple: NO FCoV = NO FIP!
In the time it takes to read this post hundreds of precious cats are being misdiagnosed, or losing their respective battles to this insidious disease. We must work together and fight for solutions. Cats and kittens need YOU! Spread the love… Double down and double your impact.
Thanks to the generosity of our loving leadership donors ALL donations received by the Luca Fund for FIP Research by midnight on Sunday February 16 will be matched. DONATE: www.endfip.com/donate/
Let’s be a Valentine to our beloved cats and to all the cats out there that count on us. Please share a piece of your heart and donate. Whether you can give $5 or $500, your gift will get us closer to our goal to fund ethical and humane FIP research at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine.
Every donation will be matched – twice the heart, twice the miracle, twice the reach.
DONATE: www.endfip.com/donate/
EndFIP® has a vision: every cat a healthy cat.
www.endfip.com | www.LucaFundforFIP.com
