Etowah Valley Cat Room To Open Saturday After Quarantine

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- The Etowah Valley Humane Society's cat room should return to normal operations on Saturday, nearly two weeks after at least one feline tested positive for a highly contagious virus.

Bryan Canty, the director of the society, said staff members expect to reopen the cat room on July 8.

"There is no reason for the general public to be concerned about adopting any of our cats, as they are fully vetted," he said in a statement.

The quarantine was ordered by the Georgia Department of Agriculture after a cat tested positive for the feline panleukopenia virus.

The first cat, Salem, was hospitalized after officials confirmed the virus. Tests were also ordered on his litter mate, which exhibited the same symptoms as Salem. That cat was transported to a clinic for observation, and her results were rushed to the lab for confirmation.

"All other cats were fully vaccinated," he said, adding no lives were lost due to the diligent protocols put in place by medical advisor Dr. Carl White. "It was never even a threat to them.”

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the virus is a highly contagious disease most commonly seen in kittens. It attacks cells that are rapidly growing and dividing, such as those in the bone marrow and intestines.

While cats at any age can be infected, young kittens, sick felines and unvaccinated cats are the most susceptible, the association added.

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