It is suggested that queens be completely isolated from other cats
(isolated in its own room, not its own cage within a room). This room
should be empty for one week prior to placing the queen there, and
should be disinfected with a 1:32 solution of bleach. The queen should
be placed in the isolation room 10-14 days prior to delivery. All bowls
and litter boxes should be used exclusively for that room, and not
interchanged with any others. You should disinfect your hands when
entering and leaving the isolation room. If possible, you should even
try to have separate clothing, such as a smock and slippers which are
restricted to the isolation room to decrease risk.
If the queen is not seronegative, you may want to consider an early
weaning program. The queen should be removed from the kittens at age
4-6 weeks and never returned. During the first 4-6 weeks of a kitten’s
life, it gets its antibodies from their mother, therefore they are
immune to anything she may be shedding. After that time period, they
start making their own antibodies. If the queen is a carrier of
coronaviruses, she can shed FECV to the kittens, and they are most
likely to become infected during that time period. Regardless of
whether the kittens are weaned early and isolated from the mother, they
should be kept isolated from all other cats in the household. In
addition to minimizing the risk of the kittens developing FIP, the risk
of exposure to other viruses and diseases will be reduced.
Kittens should be raised in complete isolation from the queen and all
other cats/kittens in the household until they leave the cattery. If
the kitten is to be kept in the cattery, it should be isolated for 16
weeks, and then the FIP vaccination series should be completed before
allowing the kittens to interact with the other cats.