Feline distemper or feline panleukopenia is a viral infection that affects cats. This potentially serious disease is caused by feline parvovirus. This virus is capable of surviving in the environment. It remains highly transmittable for more than a year. Although feline parvovirus is comparative to canine parvovirus, it is not associated with canine distemper.
Recognize cat distemper symptoms
Once feline parvovirus gets into the cat’s body, the cat will start to experience bloody diarrhea, vomiting, appetite loss, fever, dehydration and weight loss. Cats with this disease lack energy. They can manifest a yellowish skin, eyes and ears because of the developing disease on their liver.
Internal ulceration will also be observed from infected cats. Feline parvovirus chiefly attacks the gastrointestinal tract’s lining, thus causing overall intestinal epithelium sloughing. Other feline distemper symptoms include the following:
*Decrease in the white blood cells of the cat;
*Decrease in the cat’s blood platelet and hematocrit counts;
*Depression and anemia;
*Loss of the cat’s skin elasticity because of dehydration;
*Self-biting in the back legs, tail and lower back.
Oftentimes, feline parvovirus is passed to a kitten or the cat when it ingests or gasps secretions from infected cats. This virus mimics within the cat’s tissues and moves to the blood stream, wherein it persists to propagate all the way through the cat’s body. Sometimes this virus is spread by means of contact with food dishes or with handlers of cats that are infected by this virus. This virus is cast in almost all of infected cats’ secretions and is resistant to various disinfectants.
Feline panleukopenia becomes more life threatening when it enters the bone marrow of the cat. The cat may become very sick or may even die when this stage is reached, since its capability to struggle off illness will be prejudiced by the reduction on its white blood cells.
Proper vaccination is the best prevention against feline parvovirus beginning roughly when the animal is just five to nine weeks old. It is necessary to repeat vaccinations when the cat reaches approximately 12 or 15 weeks of age. Cats that are given feline distemper vaccines have long-term immunity. And in order to eliminate feline parvovirus, some areas of the house must be rinsed with household bleach that is concentrated with tap water at a dilution of about 30 parts of water to one part of bleach. The surfaces must be rinsed well if the cat is to be accommodated on bleached surfaces.
Treating feline panleukopenia
Feline distemper as well as the virus that causes it is not curable, so treatment implicates supportive care. Administration of fluids is required to prevent cats from dehydration. This may either be administered into the vein of the cat or by means of intravenous fluid therapy. Subcutaneous fluid therapy may also be applied to prevent an infected cat from being dehydrated. Antibiotics can also help in treating cats or kittens that experience a reduction in their white blood cell count because of feline panleukopenia.
Cats with feline panleukopenia often lacks energy and they tend to become so very ill. There are about 60 to 80 percent possibility that feline panleukopenia infected kittens will die from this disease due to their infantile immune systems. However, adult cats that have weak immune system also don’t have a good chance of surviving. Nevertheless, healthy cats are often capable of fighting the disease and their feline panleukopenia symptoms have a tendency to be less life threatening.
