Feline Virus Forces Quarantine at Animal Shelter

Sign up for the Douglasville Patch newsletter!

-------

Three rooms at the Douglas County Animal Shelter were placed under quarantine Monday after a kitten’s death from panleukopenia (feline distemper).

The shelter said on Facebook that the cat room, nursery and sickbay were quarantined, and the Department of Agriculture has ordered that cats not be removed from the facility.

“Today we would like to report that all Cats and Kittens in the quarantined rooms are in good health,” the shelter posted Tuesday afternoon.

The shelter also urges that if you adopted a cat recently, you should quarantine the pet for at least 14 days from all people and other pets in the home: “Be careful when tending the cat. Feeding and cleaning the litter box. Cover up if possible and immediately wash/bleach your clothes,” the shelter posted.

Feline panleukopenia, a virus, is the leading cause of death in kittens and is highly contagious, the shelter said. It is contracted through direct contact with the animal or its secretions.

Early symptoms include loss of appetite, severe apathy, and fever up to 105°F. Other symptoms include pain in the abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea and/or yellow or blood-stained stool.

Read more on the disease on PetMD

Feline distemper is not contagious to humans or dogs.

Patch file photo