In the last couple years, we've lost two of our Birmans to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). They were, in fact, our first two Birmans. For well over a week, Winnie (one of the replacements for our first loss) has been acting very sick, so we brought her to the vet yesterday for observation and diagnosis. We feared the worst, but suspected something else.

This cat is known for eating anything that she can swallow. Cat toys are a favorite. She eats them, can't digest them, and then spits them back up again a couple days later.

At first, we were sure this was what was wrong with her again, so we didn't do anything about it. Unfortunately, by Sunday it was obvious that this was more serious. She'd stopped eating, and spent 99% of her time sleeping. She lost significant weight, so that you could feel her spine and her ribs more than before.

Happily, the vet just called and the ultrasound showed a foreign object in her stomach. This time, she ate something bigger than she could handle, and it wasn't going anywhere. It just sat there in her stomach, making her feel full so that she wouldn't eat.

I think it's a ball of yarn, but it could also be a large "sparkleball" (a toy) or a wad of papertowel. Whatever! The doc thinks he'll be able to get it out without surgery, which means she'll be mostly back to normal soon.

(Stupid cat.)