Deadly virus that kills cats sweeps through Indianapolis Animal Care and Control

wthr ^ | Oct 24, 2014 | Emily Longnecker

[digger48]

INDIANAPOLIS - An outbreak of a virus at Indianapolis Animal Care and Control has been a death sentence for dozens of cats at the city's shelter, and critics say it didn't have to get to this point.

The virus has a big name: panleukopenia. Shelter employees say it's highly contagious - similar to the parvovirus in dogs - and almost always deadly. That's why the city shelter is closing its doors to any more cats for the next two weeks.

"Everybody who's been exposed is a potential risk, and the only way we're going to get it controlled is if we euthanize those cats, decontaminate the rooms and move forward," said Dawn Contos, the shelter's community outreach coordinator.

Employees have already put down 20 cats that tested positive for the virus, but around 80 more are scheduled to follow, according to Contos. For the next two weeks, they're asking the public not drop off any more cats until they can get rid of the problem.

"If they're bringing us cats, we're not going to have any choice but to euthanize them," she said.

[PROCON]

How sad, I love kitties!

Die Evil Virus!!

[null and void]

OK, so it's not an emerging human disease...

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[patriot08]

oh no..I love cats.

[fhayek]

Actually, I am good with this...

(I am going to get so flamed)

[MeshugeMikey]

doubtless Obie has yet to hear about this last october surprise of the year?

[cripplecreek]

My dogs and I live pretty much quarantined.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The Ebola of catdom.

[PROCON]

EVIL KITTIE HATER!!

Off With Your Head!

[HiTech RedNeck]

Bring out your dead (cats)

Dogs are presumably snickering at this one.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I don’t know if it is the same virus, but a friend told me there’s a virus at a shelter in suburban Chicago, and they are not accepting any new animals.

[moovova]

[Clay Moore]

There has got to be a “Far Side” cartoon in here somewhere.

[vetvetdoug]

A little bit of history here. Panleukopenia in cats was a virus mutation from the Aleutian Mink Disease from the early 1900’s. It mutated in the 1920-30’s into the cat population as Feline Distemper or Feline Panleukopenia, the name because it affected all of the leukocytes and they would almost eliminate them when a differential was performed. This disease caused pneumonia and severe diarrhea in the cats. In 1978 the virus mutated and entered into the canine population in three forms. It was discovered to be a 32nm single stranded icosahedral DNA virus known as Parvovirus. In the lab while we were trying to grow out the pathogen, we discovered that it grew easily on feline kidney cells but on nothing else. The cardiac form was self limiting and is no longer existent. There are two strains of the Parvovirus still in dogs today and most vaccines contain the protective antigen. The Parvovirus, Panleukopenia, in cats is still a stable virus but excellent vaccines are available for protection. What scares me is that Parvovirus is expected to mutate and is behind schedule to do so. If it mutates into the human population it will make Ebola look like a cake walk.

[exDemMom]

Oh my goodness, how horrible! Poor kitties!

Is panleukopenia contained in the FVRCP vaccine? My cats are all current on that one, but I don’t know what is in it.

[vetvetdoug]

Is panleukopenia contained in the FVRCP vaccine?

Most definitely, it is a core vaccine in most all feline vaccines. Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia is the FVRCP spelled out.

[Slings and Arrows]

I know that this is a sad ping, but it's also a good reminder to keep your kitties indoors. Ceiling Cat comfort the souls of the fallen.

[Maudeen]

Thanks for educating us! I was just about to post “did this come over the border, too?”

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Is it the feline leukemia vaccine?

[virgil]

Is this the same thing as distemper? My cats have had their distemper shots. Or is this something different?