PrintJan. 15--More than two dozen cats and kittens had to be euthanized because of a lethal virus that spread among the felines at the Kanawha-Charleston Animal Shelter, officials said.
Donna Pauley Clark, director of the shelter, said Thursday that all of the shelter's cats had been infected with a virus known as panleukopenia, also known as feline distemper, a fatal illness exclusive to cats.
The virus had spread to all three of the shelter's cat holding rooms, and 13 to 14 adult cats and 15 to 20 kittens were euthanized Tuesday, she said.
Clark said the decision to euthanize was made after the shelter received test results from experts at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. She said the test results showed the lesions several of the cats carried were consistent with panleukopenia.
The disease cannot be spread from cats to humans or from cats to dogs.
Clark said the virus started showing up toward the end of November, but shelter workers did not know what was plaguing the animals and attributed the symptoms to possible upper respiratory infections, which are common at that time of the year, she said.
"We didn't know what was going on," Clark said. "At some point in time, one of the cats from the community came in and spread it around."
Clark said she received several phone calls from the adoptive families of cats that died shortly after arriving at their new homes. She said several veterinarians also had reported seeing cats come in with a mysterious illness.
She said the shelter had seen the disease before and euthanized cats in one room but never had to put down cats in all of the rooms. Clark said the last incident involving the disease was at least a year ago.
Clark said the veterinarians at Cross Lanes Veterinary Hospital first started running tests and found the cats likely had feline distemper. The report from Virginia Tech confirmed it.
The signs and symptoms of a cat with the virus include depression, lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, high fever, dehydration and severe bloody diarrhea, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association's Web site.
According to the Web site, cats can become infected by coming into contact with another infected cat's bodily secretions or by being bitten by fleas from an infected cat. Cats also can become infected without coming into direct contact with an infected cat. The virus can be harbored on bedding, in cages, and even on the clothing of caregivers, the Web site said.
Clark said workers at the shelter spent two days scrubbing and disinfecting the shelter's cat rooms to prevent another outbreak of the disease. She said Thursday that all of the rooms were clean.
"We've been cleaning from top to bottom for two days straight," she said.
The disease is preventable by vaccination, Clark said, and all new potential adoptees at the shelter are being vaccinated upon arrival.
The director said she would prefer if residents did not bring cats to the shelter for at least a week but several vaccinated kittens are at the shelter waiting to be adopted, she said.
Cats with the virus can be treated for their symptoms, but the treatments can be intense. The most common treatment, according to the veterinary association, is re-hydration and constant care in isolation.
In kittens, the recovery rate is poor, with 95 percent of those infected succumbing to the disease. Older cats have a better chance of survival if the illness is caught in its early stages, according to the veterinary association.
The illness is similar to parvovirus that affects dogs in a similar manner, said Dr. Jamie Totten, a veterinarian at Cross Lanes Veterinary Hospital. Totten said the best thing cat owners can do to protect their pets is to vaccinate them against the disease.
Contact writer Ashley B. Craig at ashley.craig@dailymail.com or 304-348-4850.
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