Disease kills cats at TAILSDirector says virus likely spread by stray or feral cat

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DeKALB - A recent outbreak of a virus that killed 93 cats at a South Elgin animal shelter and several more at a DeKalb shelter should act as a reminder for cat owners to spay and neuter their cats, the DeKalb shelter's director said Thursday. The virus, which is known as feline distemper or feline panleukopenia, recently claimed 93 cats at the Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin. It also killed cats at the TAILS Humane Society during a two-month period beginning in June, shelter Executive Director Beth Drake said. Drake would not say how many cats died from the virus, but did say it was fewer than at the South Elgin shelter. She said about one-third of TAILS' cat population died. Shelter officials said in May that the facility can accommodate about 120 cats, and a check of the shelter's Web site on Thursday noted there were about 72 cats and kittens at the shelter. Drake said she wants people to know that animals wouldn't have to die if there weren't so many of them. She said that's the responsibility of cat owners who should spay and neuter their pets. Animals that get the distemper vaccine are not susceptible to the disease. It is spread through the nose and mouth. Drake said it is likely the disease came into the shelter from a stray or feral cat. "It is a good chance because they have never received a vaccination for anything in their life," she said. Kittens and unvaccinated cats are the most susceptible to the disease, said Dr. Shalini Emmanuel, a veterinarian at the Genoa Animal Hospital. Emmanuel said kittens born to stray or feral cats who have never received a vaccination also are likely to get the disease because they don't have a good immune system. She said the virus, though not common, is difficult to get rid of because it cannot be treated. A healthier animal is likely to fight off the disease, she said. Because the virus is not contagious to humans, DeKalb County Animal Control does not keep records of its incidence. DeKalb County's other animal shelter, the DeKalb County Animal Welfare Shelter in Genoa, has been lucky, Director Roberta Shoaf said. She said she's been with the shelter for about 13 years and can't remember a case of the disease, but she said the shelter volunteers are aware of it and clean surfaces with disinfectant. She also said all cats are vaccinated. "I think we got off fairly easily because we took precautions," Drake said about TAILS' struggle with the disease. Drake said sick cats were quarantined in rooms separate from the general healthy population, but she said it is unknown when or if the disease can strike again. She said that as soon as a cat shows symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, it could die in as quick as four hours or as long as 48 hours. "There were cases where we know for sure we'd check in first thing in the morning and it was walking around and behaving normally and by noon they'd be dead," Drake said. As soon as a cat enters the shelter, it is vaccinated, but Drake said it takes weeks for the disease to take effect. Emmanuel said the virus is uncommon in house pets that get vaccinated because the vaccine is very effective. "It is an extremely deadly and contagious disease, but not to humans and dogs," Drake said. "We live in fear every day that it is going to come back." Aracely Hernandez can be reached at ahernandez@daily-chronicle.com.