Kitten Distemper - Advice Please!

Since last year I have run a mini kitten rescue spring through fall. In total I have had around 60 kittens that I have successfully placed in loving homes. I have a metal cat house I keep them in and it has worked real well.

Three weeks ago I took in three kittens. The next day I noticed they had diarrhea and seemed a little sick. We figured it was from the change of food (has happened before) but the two males got more sick. Sadly all three ended up dying (or were put down) the vet said it was distemper. The awful thing is that the three other kittens I had in the cat house were exposed to it, got it, and two were put down last week. The other one got sick but is fighting it well and we think will make it. She is around four months so her age is in her favour.

I am sick this happened and will definitely be tightening up how I run this. For one thing I will have to figure out a quarantine area. I of course plan on bleaching the cat house super well, but will that be enough? It is metal so I would think that should help. I have gotten rid of all the rugs, scratching posts, etc and will bleach the litter boxes, food dishes and whatever else.

I don't plan to take in more kittens till next spring. I just hope that will be long enough. The kittens I take in are farm cats and have no shots. Unfortunately they came with it so there was nothing I could do. I feel the most guilty about the others who got it as it was my fault they got exposed. I have never dealt with distemper before and didn't know much about it.

Any advice would be much appreciated! I don't want to stop taking in kittens, but I also want to make sure it will be a safe environment for them.

I am sorry you went through this.  This stuff is so contagious and stays in the environment so long it's hard to contain it.  I know vet clinics have a separate room and one person works with the kitty that has it and has no contact with another animal.  That person also removes the scrubs before they go home and bags them.  At least that is the protocol at the clinic I take my kitties to.  That would be tough to do in a home.

Thanks, yes I plan on disinfection everything super well. The one little kitten is definitely improving - I think she will be Ok. I don't know how long after she would be shedding the virus. I have heard about six weeks - does that sound about right?

I don't really know how long they continue to shed the virus.  It used to be unheard of for a small kitten to survive this but here lately we have had a few that have survived.  I don't know if the virus is mutating into one that is less lethal.  I know viruses will often do that, a virus that kills it's host actually is not a successful virus because it doesn't survive either.  The only thing I do know is that the virus can survive for a long time in the environment so a thorough disinfection and waiting until next spring before bringing in kittens that haven't been fully vaccinated would be a very good idea.  I probably wouldn't try to save any of the plastic things like litter boxes, especially since feces have a concentration of the virus.  I would go ahead and throw those out.