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 Health Information - Feline Panleukopenia |
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| Feline
panleukopenia (FP) also known as feline distemper, is a highly contagious
viral disease that occurs wherever there are cats. Cats at any age
may be stricken by this often fatal disease. At highest risk are young
kittens, sick cats and unvaccinated cats. Generally older cats have
acquired immunity and are infected less frequently. Dogs are not susceptible
to FP - canine distemper is an entirely different disease caused by
a completely separate virus. Neither disease is transmissible to humans. FP is passed from cat to cat by direct contact. The most common source of infection is fecal waste, but the virus may also be transmitted via other bodily secretions such as saliva. Cats may also become infected without coming in direct contact with an infected cat through bedding, cages, food dishes, hands and clothing of handlers that may have been in contact with an infected cat and therefore may harbor and transmit the virus. This virus is very stable and is resistant to many chemicals and may remain infectious at room temperature for as long as a year. Short of raising a cat in total isolation, it is nearly impossible to prevent exposure. After exposure, many of the cat's cells are destroyed. This cell loss makes the cat more susceptible to other complications and bacterial infections. FP is a complex disease which can vary in severity from mild to extreme. Many signs are not typical and many guardians may believe their cat has been poisoned or has swallowed a foreign object. Because of this, treatment may be delayed or or neglected. The first signs are generalized depression, loss of appetite, high fever, lethargy, vomiting, dehydration and hanging over the water dish. The course of the disease can be short and explosive, causing death within hours of discovery. Normally the sickness may go on for three or four days after the first elevation of body temperature. Fever will fluctuate during the illness and abruptly fall to subnormal levels shortly before death. Other signs in later stages are diarrhea, anemia and persistent vomiting. FP is so prevalent and the signs of the disease are so varied that any sick cat should be taken to a veterinarian for a definite diagnosis. The survival rate for kittens is poor, older cats have a better chance of survival if adequate treatment is provided early in the course of the disease. Treatment is limited to supportive care and therapy to help the patient gain and retain sufficient strength to combat the virus with its own immune system. There are no antibiotics that can kill the FP virus. If caught early enough, at home care including hand feeding, daily subcutaneous fluid therapy and antibiotics for secondary infections may combat the disease. Hospitalization with intravaneous fluid feeding is usually required. Pregnant females that contract the disease, even in its mildest form will usually give birth to kittens with severe brain damage. Strict islation is essential. The area where you keep the cat should be kept warm with heating pad under towels or blankets to keep the cat warm and comfortable. It must be free of drafts and very clean. Plenty of tender loving care is extremely important. Cats may lose their will to live so frequent petting, hand feeding and good nursing care by his or her guardian is essential to recovery. FP is controlled in several ways. Cats that survive a natural infection usually develop sufficient active immunities to protect them for the rest of their lives. Mild cases may go unnoticed and will also produce immunity. Kittens may also receive immunity from their mothers milk. This is temporary however and the kittens must be vaccinated to become fully immune. Vaccines offer the safest protection. They stimulate the cat's body to produce protective antibodies against the virus to prevent infection from natural disease causing viruses. Vaccines are preventative, not curative however. They must be administered prior to the cat becoming exposed to be effective. A bleach and water solution (1:3) is the most effective way to eliminate the virus from the environment. Be sure to clean all surfaces with soap and water solutions first, let it dry completely, then spray with the bleach and water solution and let that air dry prior to letting the cat come into contact with the surface again. Feed bowls, litter boxes, linens, all surfaces that the infected cat has come into contact with must all be washed with bleach and allowed to dry before introducing other cats to the same area. It's recommended that all items the sick cat has come into contact with be replaced with new and that you quarantine the area the cat lived in for a month at least, longer if possible before letting unexposed cats come into the same area again. |
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