Yesterday was a better day for Lucy, I think.

She was sitting on the lowest shelf of the cat tree when I got home from work Friday evening, so I didn't have to crawl behind the coal stove to pry her out. I gave her the pain medication and was glad to see she was interested in food when I was dishing it out. I gave her the last of Newt's shrimp as a treat and then dug out one of the cans of Precise I had on hand to see if she might like to try it. She did--a change of pace from the usual Friskies. (So I stopped off on the way to work yesterday and bought some more.)

She was still out and about when I went out into shop yesterday morning, so I gave her attention and more food. She hasn't been back behind the stove since Friday so I don't know if she is feeling better (the Metacam is helping?) or is responding to the attention, but checking on her condition is much easier. It eases me as well to be able to pet her and talk with her.

Her stomach seemed a bit bloated compared to her prominent spine and Dot's remark about FIP lodged in my mind. Were the other cats at risk if Lucy has in fact developed FIP? So I did some quick research yesterday to try to find out the latest thoughts on that confusing disease. I didn't want to put the other cats needlessly at risk but if there was any exposure problem, it had undoubtedly already occurred.

Well, there is still a great deal of confusion--and old information--on line about FIP. The best link I found came from the Cat Fanciers' Association. I figured that the breeders would be the ones to have a vested interest in knowing the latest, so I followed their link to this site.

"Transmission of FIP from cat to cat is considered to be rare. This fact has caused leading FIP researchers to state that cats who are ill with FIP are unlikely to be a risk to other cats and thus do not need to be isolated.

When I read those words, a frisson of relief passed through me. This was what I had suspected but to see the thought in print was very calming.

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