Rash of feline distemper cases found in community

Local veterinarians and animal control workers are concerned that an alarming increase in a serious and highly contagious cat virus in the community may reach epidemic levels soon.

Feline panleukopenia, or feline distemper as it is commonly known, is a viral infectious disease that most often occurs in kittens under six months of age.

Mountain Home Animal Shelter Manager Kathy Alvarez noted that they have recently seen several cases of the virus in cats that have been collected or dropped off at the shelter.

"We have had three cases that have been positively diagnosed in the past few months," Alvarez said, "and we want the public to be aware of the problem."

"Kittens are vaccinated upon arrival at the shelter but could be infected before that time," remarked Alvarez.

Signs of the virus develop about two to five days after exposure with severe diarrhea being the most obvious sign of infection and then the virus usually runs its course in two weeks..

Other symptoms include loss of appetite, vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, and depression.

Kittens and older cats are more severely affected with the disease with healthy adult cats requiring veterinary care for up to 10 days.

Lloyd Knight, a veterinarian with Knight Veterinary Clinic, estimated that his office has seen 25-30 cases of the virus in the past six months.

"This is a very serious disease for cats, especially kittens, where the mortality rate can reach 70-80 percent of those infected," Knight said. "Once diagnosed and treated, the cats usually recover quickly"

Vaccinating kittens at an early age is the best prevention method, Knight stressed.

Kittens should receive a first vaccination at eight weeks of age with booster shots at 12 and 16 weeks of age, with the series providing a fairly long lasting immunity.

Knight also recommended sterilizing possible infected areas using a 1:32 diluted bleach solution.

"That works well on hard surfaces... what is more challenging to clean and disinfect are the more porous and hard to clean areas like underneath stairs and outbuildings where cats like to hang out," Knight said.

Vaccinations are available at local veterinarian offices and average around $25 per shot.