The Winn Feline Foundation and cat litter brand Feline Pine have partnered to fund research aimed at finding a treatment for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a fatal disease of cats. “We are so excited to be partnering with Feline Pine,” said Susan Little, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (feline practice), past president of the Winn Feline Foundation. “They are truly a company that cares about the life and health of cats and their support of the Winn Feline Foundation assists us in our goal to help ‘every cat, every day.’” The research project is being led by Alfred Legendre, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. FIP is believed to occur when there is a mutation of the common intestinal coronavirus. There is a depression of the cell-mediated immune response to the mutated virus, which results in an overproduction of antibodies and a loss of the cell-mediated immunity needed to destroy coronavirus-infected macrophages, according to the Winn Feline Foundation grant description. The polyprenyl immunostimulant (PI) stimulates cell-mediated immunity. The investigators will treat 20 cats diagnosed with FIP with PI. “We look forward to a long association with the Winn Feline Foundation,” said Dan Henderson, brand manager for Feline Pine, which is based in West Palm Beach, Fla. “As a long-standing organization dedicated solely to the mission of helping the lives and welfare of all cats, the Winn Feline Foundation provides research into improving treatment of common feline health problems and helps to understand and prevent many diseases. We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with the premiere feline health research grantor in the world. We stand together in our caring and commitment to cats.”
