Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) was once universally fatal. Antiviral treatments developed since 2019 have transformed this devastating disease into a treatable condition.
The development of effective FIP treatment has transformed the welfare trajectory of an estimated 1% of young cats that develop this disease. A cat diagnosed with FIP before 2019 faced certain death within weeks, typically after significant suffering from fluid accumulation, neurological symptoms or organ failure. Today, the same cat with access to treatment has a 95%+ chance of complete cure and a full life expectancy. The welfare impact is immense - thousands of cats that would have died in suffering now survive with no lasting effects. The remaining barrier is cost and access, which is improving rapidly as generic treatments become available.