Cat disease

The term feline distemper refers to feline parvovirus (or feline panleukopenia, FPV). This is a virus that affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is extremely contagious and the diarrhea it causes can be very mild or even fatal. The virus also attacks white blood cells, which reduces your cat's resistance and makes them more susceptible to all sorts of other infections.

Cat disease in humans
Feline distemper in humans is related to toxoplasmosis. The cat distemper described here is not dangerous for humans

Can any cat get sick?
Cat distemper is primarily a cat disease. Any cat that is not adequately vaccinated can become ill. This applies regardless of the age of the cat. Therefore, older cats who have been properly vaccinated in the past can also become ill. Cats that were only vaccinated as kittens and have not been vaccinated since then can also become ill. Most cats in the Netherlands are well vaccinated, so cat diseases are rare.

Vaccination against cat distemper
During a kitten's first few weeks of life, it is protected by antibodies that the kitten receives through its mother's milk. Once these antibodies slowly disappear, the likelihood of infection increases. From this moment on, only one vaccination makes sense. If vaccinated too early, the mother's antibodies will prevent the kitten from developing resistance. Every cat will therefore have a phase in their life when they are susceptible to viruses.

Vaccination against cat distemper is very common in the Netherlands, so the disease is rare. As already mentioned, vaccination is very important to build up resistance. It is also very important to keep the resistance optimal. If you stop vaccination, resistance will slowly decrease and your cat may become susceptible to the virus again.

How Does My Cat Get Cat Distemper?
This virus plays a major role in animal shelters and animal shelters. Many animals live close together here and the risk of infection is very high. The virus is spread through the feces. A kitten can become ill through contact with a sick animal, but also through contact with a recently recovered animal or contact with an infected area. Caregivers can also transmit the virus through clothing and hands.

What are the symptoms of cat distemper?
Once infected, the cat becomes ill quickly and if the body cannot fight the virus, it often dies within the first 24-48 hours. The symptoms of a cat illness are: vomiting, diarrhea and high fever. Cats can also die suddenly. Infections in pregnant cats can result in miscarriage or brain damage in the kittens.

A kitten with diarrhea that doesn't otherwise appear sick and healthy probably doesn't have distemper. The diarrhea is most likely caused by something else. Diarrhea can be dangerous for kittens. It is therefore best to consult your veterinarian.

What is the treatment for cat distemper?
The virus is very easily detectable in the stool. Many clinics conduct this test internally. The virus is very persistent and difficult to defeat, so it is advisable to diagnose it. This test can give a false positive if the cat has been vaccinated against distemper in the 7-10 days prior to the test. The result then suggests that your cat is infected with feline distemper, which is not the case. The rash is a result of vaccination.

The sick animal is only treated symptomatically. There are no drugs against the virus. Antibiotics only work against bacteria. Therefore, each cat must independently overcome the virus, in some animals this is easier than in others. Veterinary treatment is often necessary as the condition of the animals deteriorates quickly.

This text was translated by a translation machine