Local cats OK, animal warden says
By SHEILA RHOADES
Friday, January 2, 2009 7:37 PM EST
srhoades@wabashplaindealer.com
Two contagious - as well as incurable - diseases have been reported in a Fort Wayne animal shelter. But, so far, there are no signs of the illnesses in cats at the Wabash County Animal Shelter.
Allen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will not be adopting cats out nor accepting cats, due to calici and herpes viruses.
"The cats are fine here," Wabash County Animal Warden Sherry Cox told the Plain Dealer via e-mail. "We have not seen any illness except for respiratory problems."
Calici is a virus that attacks the mouth, eyes and can even affect the lungs of cats. Symptoms can include loss of appetite, fever, runny nose and general cold-like symptoms, however, it really depends on the age of the animal, the amount of exposure to the virus and other individual differences.
Multi-cat homes and animal shelters help spread the infection with increasing symptoms each time they are exposed. This includes direct contact such as litter boxes, food dishes, furnishings and clothing.
Only the symptoms can be treated.
Feline (rhinotracheitis) herpes virus, also known as cat herpes affects domestic and wild cats worldwide.
The disease is characterized by respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, nasal discharge, nose inflammation and conjunctivitis (inflammation of the membrane lining the eyelid).
Cats of all ages and breeds are susceptible, although it is more common
in kittens, especially those born to infected mothers; multicat households and pet adoption shelters - especially those that are overcrowded.
Poor nutrition, poor sanitation and poor ventilation can also be to blame, and sick and unvaccinated cats can be a factor.
The virus is shed through the discharge from an infected cat's eyes, nose, and mouth. Contact with these secretions is a potential mode of transmission. The most common mode of transmission appears to be contact with contaminated objects - those touched by an infected cat or sneezed on.
It usually takes several days of close contact for infection to occur.
Some cats are known as latent carriers and may not show symptoms, although they harbor the virus in their nerve cells. Latent carriers spread the infection and are a major source of new infections.
According to the SPCA, the Fort Wayne animal shelter had 30 of 58 cats test positive for either herpes or calici.
Currently, there are only nine cats being housed at the Wabash shelter, Cox said, adding that they are still accepting cats and and will still adopt cats out.
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