Can cat get parvo ? Yes , but it ’s not the same as the dog version . Here ’s what you should know about feline panleukopenia and maintain your kitty-cat safe .
It ’s possible that you ’ve never heard about feline panleukopenia , or perhaps you know it by its other names : feline distemper , feline infectious enteritis , and feline parvo . It ’s a plebeian and extremely serious disease , but it’spreventable through a vaccinum .
A former President of the United States of theAmerican Association of Feline Practitionersand a member ofVet Scoop , Lauren Demos , BVMS , MRCVS , tells Daily Paws that while the vaccine can prevent the loss of white pedigree cells , the virus can still overspread well . It ’s especially severe to unvaccinated kittens .
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We also spoke with Rachael Wooten , DVM , the primary veterinarian atOne Tail at a Time Animal Rescue . " Feline distemper ( aka feline panleukopenia ) is a highly transmissible and life - threaten viral contagion because of parvo , " Wooten says .
Here ’s all you need to have sex about recognizing , treating , and preventing panleukopenia ( aka feline parvo or ill humor in cats ) .
What Is Feline Panleukopenia?
Feline panleukopenia is the medical term for when your cat has a low count of lily-white rip cells , Demos say . White blood cellphone are what protect your computerized tomography ’s bloodstream from diseases and infections , so a cat with a low white stock jail cell count will be more susceptible to illness .
" White blood cells are important because they are the cellphone used to fight off infection in the body , " Wooten explains . " Without them , the cat , unfortunately , has a very watery resistant system . "
Panleukopenia is because of a virus , namely the feline parvovirus , according to theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association . " It infects and kill cellphone that are apace growing and dividing , such as those in the bone marrow , intestines , and the developing fetus , " states the AVMA . The virus is " hardy , " meaning it can survive for quite a while , Demos says .
It should be noted that the feline parvovirus is not quite the same as thecanine parvovirus . The viruses are species - specific and are not passed to one another . So while cats can get parvovirus , it will be a bit unlike from the dog version . But like eyetooth parvovirus , it ’s extremely transmissible .
A cat will unfold the virus through anything expelled from her body , namely her feces . From there , it can jerk a drive on anything that touches the shite , whether that ’s a horseshoe , clothes , or a manus .
Kittens are most at jeopardy for the disease , especially if they contract it before they have a chance to get the vaccinum ( more on that later ) . That ’s why you should fuck about it if you adopta stray or feral bozo . However , senior computerized axial tomography can be susceptible , too , Demos say .
accord to the AVMA , nearly all cats are exposed to the virus at some point in their aliveness .
Signs and Symptoms of Panleukopenia in Cats
There are several thing to look out for if you mistrust your cat has feline panleukopenia , fit in to Demos , Wooten , and the AVMA , including :
Those are by no means symptoms specific to panleukopenia , so your veterinary surgeon will have to conduct a descent tryout and then determine whether the feline parvovirus is present in your cat ’s commode , the AVMA says . However , your veteran might suspect panleukopenia if they know whether your cat has been vaccinated or if she ’s come into contact with another cat who might have the computer virus .
Feline Panleukopenia Treatment Options
" There is no square ' therapeutic ' for feline distemper , but luckily there is a vaccine that is super in effect , Wooten says . " Prevention is the key to managing and preventing this terrible virus . "
The sorry realness is that once you notice that your cat or kitten is sick , treatment options are limited . " If a kitten or cat tests convinced for feline distemper , then their symptoms can be treated to help them as the computer virus runs its course of instruction , typically around 10 - 14 days , " Wooten enjoin . " The treatment typically involves aggressive IV fluid therapy , IV antibiotics , and anti - nausea medication . "
Demos says vet will treat sick cats to give them supportive forethought , but because there ’s no remedy , the mortality rate is fairly high . Without supportive care , about 90 percent of cats with feline panleukopenia will go , according to the AVMA . So treatment can make a difference !
That ’s why you should contact your vet as presently as you suspect your cat might have panleukopenia .
The Feline Panleukopenia Vaccine
There is upright intelligence here , though : There are vaccines for ill humor in cats that can forbid the disease . More good news : The vaccines are normally include in your kitten’score set of vaccinesshe obtain at 8 , 12 , and 16 weeks sure-enough , Demos says . It ’s the " P " in the FVRCP vaccine .
" Vaccinate your kittens and cat ! " stresses Wooten . " In the creature tax shelter I work in , I have in person seen the vaccinum relieve so many lives , whether the kitty never press the computer virus , or because they had at least one vaccine , they had a milder casing of feline distemper . "
