How long to wait after FIP?

As some of you know, I had a cat that suddenly became sick around the beginning of February and he was strongly felt to have FIP. His health deteriorated over the course of about 3 weeks and we had to put him down on February 27th.

I recently moved and we've adopted a new 10-month-old kitten. Our last cat was 10 months old when we had him put to sleep so we're kind of starting where we left off. This cat seems to be extremely healthy and he's been tested FIV/FeLV negative (which our previous cat was never tested for).

I'm wondering how careful I have to be about my new cat getting the disease (because we aren't 100% sure it was FIP, it could have been another virus also, but the doctor was almost positive it was FIP). I still have the same water bowls that both my old cat and current dog used to drink out of, and I have the same litter box and toys. I bleached the litter box and I bleached my pet carrier and the water bowls. Also I got the new cat exactly 31 days after we put the first cat to sleep.

My dog has several toys that my old cat occasionally used to play with also. Should I bleach these too? I found my new cat playing with one of the old toys today and I took it away and gathered all the other toys so I could bleach them.

Does anyone think what I've done is adequate or do I need to do more? We still have the same bed and one piece of furniture that is the same; otherwise all the furniture is new and we live in a different house so the carpet is new.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I hope this article will set your mind at rest.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070805/ai_n19442665

Badger,

Great link! Saved me some typing. Could not have stated that better!:thumbs up

Ok, thanks very much for the article.

What if it was one of the other viruses (FIV, FeLV)... then how likely would it be my new kitten could get it after a month, in a new house? I suppose those viruses are also a possibility but the doctor highly suspected FIP because of the weakness in his hind legs and high levels of total protein and globulin.

I didn't throw away the litter box but I did thoroughly bleach it, along with the pet carrier, water dishes, and toys. Should this be good enough?

If I'm reading the article right, everything you have done, plus the lapse of time, makes the risk virtually non-existant. For the record, I too would have gotten busy with the bleach :), but don't go overboard. There's no reason to use bleach every time you wash the litterbox, for instance.

It is extremely traumatic losing a young cat so quickly. We are left feeling vulnerable and maybe a bit guilty. You - and he - were just monumentally unlucky.

Enjoy your new boy. As a young cat, he may have the occasional bout of diarrhea, for a ton of different reasons, so when the time comes, don't leap to conclusions.

Thanks. :fingerscr