CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An outbreak of feline panleukopenia is prompting the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Animal Care & Control (CMPD ACC) to temporarily halt the intake of adult cats.
CMPD ACC announced Tuesday that the shelter had positive cases of the disease starting Friday, July 11 and has implemented protocol changes.
Some of these changes include:
- No adult stray cats will be taken in
- Kitten nursery is closed for intake
- Kittens found with a mother will not be accepted
- Any cat/kitten positive for feline panleukopenia will be euthanized
Officials note that orphaned neonate kittens will still be accepted at the shelter. Cats and kittens will still be able to be adopted and are being placed in a temporary adoption area to prevent a further outbreak. The shelter has just under 100 cats available right now.
The decision to euthanize any cat/kitten at the shelter with feline panleukopenia is at the best interest of preventing the spread to other cats at the shelter, according to a release.
CMPD ACC states they vaccinate all cats and kittens that are taken in by the shelter.
"This is not totally unexpected – every shelter sees their cases every year. Like parvo virus in puppies, it is everywhere in the environment and not so easily eliminated," said Dr. Julie Holifield, Animal Care & Control Veterinarian in the release. "Vaccination is our strongest defense against this disease."
According to the shelter, a cat or kitten vaccinated against the disease has a minimal risk of contracting the disease, even if they were recently adopted from CMPD ACC.
Feline panleukopenia is a disease caused by the feline parvovirus. This virus infects and kills cells in the infected cats. The virus does not infect humans.
CMPD ACC says feline panleukopenia is exposed to almost all cats and kittens throughout their lifetime and is most lethal to those that are unvaccinated.
Cats can become infected by the virus by coming in contact with infected cats or simply coming in contact with other surfaces touched by an infected cat.
Infected cats may appear lethargic, suffer from a loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, nasal discharge, and dehydration.
If someone suspects their cat may be infected with the virus, they are instructed to get treatment immediately.
CMPD ACC veterinarians say the best way of preventing feline parvovirus and feline panleukopenia is to vaccinate their cats.
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Anyone with questions about the disease or anything with CMPD ACC can contact animals@cmpd.org.
Similar outbreak in Gaston County
While CMPD deals with the panleukopenia outbreak, animal care workers in Gaston County are also facing a similar dilemma, albeit with both dogs and cats.
Gaston County Police's Animal Care and Enforcement division said on Wednesday a similar feline panleukopenia outbreak was confirmed in their cat population. However, the division also said canine parvovirus, or parvo, was also detected in some of their dogs.
While the spread of the viruses have been isolated to certain parts of the county shelter, Animal Care and Enforcement is partially suspending animal intake. Dogs and cats exposed to their respective viruses will be monitored closely for any signs of it.
Intake may be partially suspended, but Gaston County Police said the shelter is still open to the public for the adoption of healthy animals. Anyone with questions can call (704) 922-8677 or check their Facebook page.