Feline infectious peritonitis has historically been uniformly fatal, but antiviral treatments now offer welfare-transforming outcomes for affected cats.
The development of effective antiviral treatment for FIP represents one of the most dramatic welfare transformations in feline medicine in decades. FIP was a death sentence that caused significant suffering — fluid accumulation, neurological symptoms, and chronic decline before death. The new antivirals change this completely, achieving remission in the majority of treated cats. The primary welfare barrier is now cost and access — treatment is expensive and unaffordable for many cat owners, and regulatory status in some countries creates legal uncertainty. Expanding access to FIP treatment is a high-impact welfare priority for the feline medicine community.