Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I'm sorry to hear of the unfortunate illnesses your kitties have been dealing with. I can't tell you how much I hate FIP. It is a nasty disease.

However, the good news is that I really don't think you need to wait for 6 months before getting new cats.

It is a little confusing to explain how cats get FIP, but hopefully this explanation will put your mind at ease.

FIP is caused by something called a coronavirus. When most cats come in contact with coronavirus they get some mild diarrhea for a day or two but that's it. However, there is a small percentage of cats whose immune systems don't handle coronavirus properly. This number is somewhere between 1 and 5 per cent of all cats. For these cats when they come in contact with coronavirus the immune system has a really hard time and they go on to get FIP. As you know, FIP is much more serious than simple diarrhea.

Now, here's the good news. Coronavirus has a really hard time existing in an environment. It can possibly live for a few days to a couple of weeks in fluid. But after that it dies quite easily.

What I usually advise my clients when they are in your situation is to wait for about 2 weeks before getting new cats. I usually recommend getting new litter boxes and feeding dishes just to be safe (but this probably doesn't even need to happen).

I hope that helps!

Enjoy your new kitties! And I hope Max enjoys having new buddies!

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