FIP was once uniformly fatal. New antiviral treatments have transformed this devastating disease into a treatable condition, dramatically improving welfare outcomes for affected cats.
FIP represents one of the most significant recent advances in companion animal welfare through pharmacological innovation. A disease that previously caused rapid, agonising death through systemic inflammation and multi-organ failure is now treatable in the majority of cases. Cats that would have faced certain death within weeks — some of whom presented with severe neurological signs, abdominal fluid, and dramatic weight loss — are now achieving full clinical remission. The welfare transformation for individual cats is profound. The remaining welfare challenge is treatment access and cost — treatments are expensive and not universally available, creating geographic and economic inequity in which cats receive this life-saving intervention. Advocacy for licensing, cost reduction, and insurance coverage for FIP treatment extends welfare benefits more widely.