FCoV does not survive very well in the environment; so it is probably safe to get another cat I would say in a month or so (FCoV may survive for several days and possibly up to 7 weeks in dried up faeces in cat litter.) so it really is necessary to thoroughly clean after the cat with FIP died. However, make sure that you disinfect the areas where most virus would occur: the litter tray and the food bowls. Clean these carefully, soak them for 15-30 minutes in a mixture of Domestos or Milton and water and rinse them thoroughly. However, if you have other cats, it will not be safe to get a new cat until you have had them antibody tested, because they may infect the new cat. For safety, your other cats should have an antibody litre of zero before you introduce a new cat. If their antibody titres are greater than zero then you should wait three lo six months, have them retested and, if most of the cats' antibody titres have fallen to zero, it should be safe to get another cat Be prepared to wait; some cats take years to become antibody negative. If there is no sign of the antibody litre dropping, or the cat continually has a positive virus test on his faeces and you are determined lo have another cat, choose one which also has an FCoV antibody titre of over ten. A cat will be less at risk of developing Fl P than a cat which has never met the virus before (though remember that the stress of re-homing could push it into developing FIP).
