We have feline Panleukopenia in house.

Please pray for my furkids. We've already lost 4 foster kittens and 2 adult cats over the holidays. The rest of the household are either middle aged/old and 1 orphan kitten.

I am so sorry for your losses, sending lots of vibes your way

Oh no I'm so sorry, how heartbreaking Sending lots and lots of vibes that the rest survive this horrible disease. Are the remaining kitties vaccinated?

Oh, that's terrible, ChrissyR. I'm so sorry! Many prayers, thoughts and well wishing for you and the furkids that NO ONE else succumbs. <<<Hugs>>>

and prayers that the others stay fine

Thanks. Some are vacinated and some aren't. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how we got this and I have no idea at all. Iwonder if this is really what we have. The vet took the symptoms that I explained and told me we have "feline distemper". He said if noone passes in a week, we're clear. Now I'm scared to death that we're going to lose more of the furkids. Needless to say, I'm loving on everybody I can and walking on eggshells.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I've also had the great misfortune of dealing with panleukopenia and lost several of my foster kittens. It was horrible and I don't wish it on my worst enemy. I got it when I took in a litter of kittens from another rescue and they had probably picked it up at the shelter they came from. The incubation period with panleuk can be as little as 2-3 days and as much as 10 days. How long have you had your newest fosters?

There are two ways to tell for sure if it is panleuk that you have and not something else. One way is to do a necropsy on one of the diseased cats. My vet does this for $60 so it's not as expensive as one might think.
The other way to tell, which I have found out is not widely known among vets, is to do a Snap Parvo test for dogs on a stool sample from a sick cat. The antibodies that develop against panleukopenia in cats are very, very similar as the antibodies that develop against parvo in dogs and it's these antibodies that the snap parvo test tests for. My infected kittens that were tested with this test all had a strong positive.
I learned about this use of the snap parvo test from a vet at the e-vet but when I brought a kitten into my vet to have the test done he had never heard of using it that way. I had to push a bit to get the test done. I told them that since I'm paying for the test and want it done it shouldn't matter if they think it will work or not. Well, my vet learned something new that day.
If I were you I would go to your vet and insist on having this test done. It's not that expensive and it does work. It's important that you know for sure what you are dealing with.

Please make sure that you disinfect as much of your house as you possibly can and throw away what you can that the cats have had contact with. The only thing that will kill the virus is 1 part bleack to 10 parts of water and the bleach solution has to have contact with the virus for several minutes so you have to let it sit. Remember that this virus is very, very stable in the environment and can remain in your home for six months, sometimes longer.

I found out when I had my sick kittens that it's very important that they get sub-q fluids while they are sick. In fact keeping the cat well hydrated can mean a difference between life and death. Sadly supportive care is the only treatment available.

I'm not sure if it works or not but a friend of mine told me that her vet was experimenting with giving cats with panleukopenia Tamiflu. Tamiflu has shown to be very effective in treating puppies with parvo and since the two viruses are similar this vet figured that Tamiflu may be effective in cats with panleuk too. It may be something worth looking into for you. It certainly couldn't hurt trying it, I think.

I really hope that the outbreak in your house is over and no other cats will be affected. I'll be keeping you all in my thoughts and sending some get well vibes your way

Take care.

We've had the kittens for awhile. We had theirMom first, she went to a friends no-kill shelter and we found out she was pregnant. She cared for the kittens for about a month then I took them in and took over their care. They had alway been sickly with an URI. Their Mom is perfectly fine but their aunt is the one in the vet hospital and their other aunt died. So far, it's been 24 hours an nobody is showing any signs of anything.

I'll ask about the Snap test tomorrow when I go to visit Doll. I icked up fresh bleach today and plan to do as much cleaning as I can tomorrow when I get home. I have, mostly, hardwood floors.

Panleukopenia can be spread on your hands and clothes. Have you handled any other cats at a shelter or vets office or something? It's not impossible that it could have come in that way. Panleuk is highly contagious which is why it's so scary.

It could also have been something else. There are several things that have similar symptoms. What kinds of symptoms did yours have and how long did it take from onset of illness until they died?

I hope it's not really panleuk and if it was I hope it's over.

From start to finish was, roughly, 3 days. 1 kitten passed the first day (Wednesday), 1 kitten the 2nd day (Thursday) , 1 kitten and adult on 3rd day (Friday), 1 kitten on 4th day (Saturday), then 24 hours later, Doll was going down (Sunday).

The symptoms are dehydration, hanging over the water bowl but hardly drinking, lethargy, vomiting, one (that we know of) had diarrhea, walking with the head hanging down. Those were the main ones I saw before death took over. The vet said those were classic symptoms.

We have zero clue how it came to our house. I've been trying to figure it out but none of us have handled foreign (sp?) cats. I told my friend about it and she's keeping an eye on her group but said she never had it there and all the cats are up to date on vaccines. I told my mom and brother as I have been around their cats without knowing this was in my house.

I saw Doll today and she looks so much better. She's bright eyed and moving around. Still has mucous coming from her nose but they were able to hydrate her. I talked to the assisstant as the vet was in surgery and she told me they don't carry the Snap test. She said I can take Doll somewhere else if I want to get it done but that they don't carry it as parvo is hardly ever seen there anymore.

So far, outbreak started about a week ago today and the last one it hit was Doll on Sunday. Right now everyone else is okay.

I want to thank you so much for helping me, Lizita. I'm sorry you've gone through this and lost kitties, too.

*Update* Just talked to vet assisstant and she said Doll is not eating or drinking but they are keeping her hydrated. She is no better but no worse from what I saw of her this morning. I was also advised that as soon as someone shows symptoms to isolate them and call as soon as I can to get them in for fluids.

I'm probably now just talking to myself but here's todays update. Doll is still not eating. She had a small formed stool but it was still soft. Now she has a high fever and an infection in her nose. Still being hydrated by needles and he figures she's not eating cause of the fever. Also, she had jaundice (forgot about that) and he said her coloring is better. He's keeping her again tonight and we'll talk tomorrow.

Home gang still going great.

Here's sending you some strength and hope. After having had several multiples (of cats) while growing up and as an adult, I would be a basket-case if something like this happened. I don't think I could handle it...

I hope that this FPL outbreak is over. Give Doll a hug for me...and I'm praying she recovers quickly.

for the five who went over to the Rainbow Bridge.

Thanks Photogbuff. I'll be visiting Doll again tomorrow while I talk to the vet and will give her hugs. I hope it's over, too. I'm going out of my mind with worry and am now wondering why we have so many cats. It's not just the house cats I worry about, it's the older rescues and the ferals and now every cat I come in contact with. *sigh* I need a vacation when this is over.

You and your furkids are in my thoughts and prayers.

Leslie

Still, no news is good news, right? Doll looks better but still not eating. They are force feeding her and giving her fluids. She's still eliminating just fine. Her "color" is a bit better. Vet says he doesn't know what organ damage there might be from the panleuk but may explain why she's not eating.

Will talk again tomorrow. May have to make a decision next week that I don't want to make if she doesn't eat.

I'm so, so sorry that Doll is so sick. There are no guarantees of course but she stands a better chance of getting over it the longer she holds out and she's getting the best care she can get. She may just not be eating because she feels bad. I know I don't want to eat when I'm sick. The formed stool is a good sign. Watery diarrhea or bloody diarrhea is a bad sign but she doesn't have that. Adult cats recover from Panleuk all the time so don't give up hope yet.

I'm so happy to hear that the other cats at home are doing well. In my case there was a few very bad days but then it was over so I hope it will be the same with you. Just keep cats out of the areas the sick cats were, especially the kittens.

Please know that this can happen to anybody and it has nothing to do with how many cats you have. All the cats in your home are very, very lucky to be there and because you take in several you save several and not just a few. Imagine where all these kitties would be if it was not for you. I hope you don't stop saving as many as you can. You've done nothing wrong.

I hope Doll continues to get better. I'm sending get better vibes to the both of you.
Take care of yourself. The best thing you can do for your "kids" is to take care of their mom.

Doll ate!!!

Got a voicemail this morning and vet said she ate a little bit and he thinks she's turned the corner for the better. Still has bad congestion but he's hopefully optimistic!!!!

That is wonderful news! Thanks for letting us know!

I've been following this thread since you posted about your terrible situation; I can't begin to imagine what you and your feline family have been going through. It was bad luck that could have happened to anyone — not your fault!

You've been brave and wise through this, and I hope you've all finally made it to the end of illness.

She's home!!! Got the call today to come pick Doll up. She's perky and happy as can be to be home. I'm to keep a close eye on her to make sure she's eating and eliminating properly. She's already came to me for some lovin' and I'm super happy to have her home!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here and helping me get through this hard time. As soon as I can dig up my camera I'll try and get some pics posted.

What good news! I was scared to post before, but glad to know things are looking up. Many good vibes coming for even better news soon. What you have been through is just to horrific for words, especially for us multi-cat households.
I lost two fosters from FIP this time last year, and spent months looking for symptoms. These illnesses that can sweep through are just too frightening.