References
Feline Panleukemia

Media Release

Animal Care Centre Urges Londoners to Keep Their Cats Up To Date on Vaccinations

(Aug. 19, 2004) Feline Panleukopenia (FP) or feline distemper is a highly contagious and often deadly virus that can be avoided with adequate vaccinations. The London Animal Care Centre has had several cats brought to the center who have exhibited the signs and symptoms of FP in the past two weeks.

The best prevention for FP is to see take your cat to the veterinarian each year for a health check-up and have your cat vaccinated on a regular basis.

According to the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) some of the symptoms of FP include:

… depression, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting, lethargy and dehydration. In advanced cases, the virus can cause death within hours. The mortality rate for young kittens can be as high as 75 percent. Other cats may succumb to the virus at a rate of 50 percent.
(OVMA website)

The virus is transmitted from cat to cat and can also be inadvertently transmitted by the hands or clothing of a person who has had contact with an infected cat.
If your cat is demonstrating any of the signs or symptoms of FP or is acting in an unusual way, please contact your veterinarian right away.

The warmer months are typically when urban centers see outbreaks of FP. Animal shelters, humane societies and cat rescue centres that take in lost and abandoned cats are common locations for FP to arise. The London Animal Care Centre is monitoring all of the cats it currently has at the shelter.

- 30 -

For more information, please contact Brett Harlton,
London Animal Care Centre, at (519) 685-1330.