Parvo in Cats
The feline parvovirus or feline panleukopenia is a disease that’s most common and most severe in kittens and can, all too often, be fatal.
At birth, kittens typically receive antibodies from their mother, which protect them for the first few weeks. By the age of 4 to 12 weeks, however, this protection wanes, and the kittens become vulnerable to the virus. Because the virus is widespread throughout the environment and can survive in it for months, nearly all cats are exposed to it. Not surprisingly then, both sick cats and unvaccinated cats are the ones most likely to contract this disease.
The feline parvovirus attacks the cells in a cat’s intestines, causing diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty eating and difficulty drinking. It also attacks the bone marrow, resulting in shortages of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
This potentially deadly virus is found in the nasal secretions, stool and urine of cats with the disease, called carrier cats, anywhere from two days to six weeks, contaminating everything from their cages and bedding, to dishes and the hands and clothes of their “people.” Even fleas from infected cats can infect otherwise healthy cats. Common, as well, is cat-to-cat passage of the feline parvovirus, which is more likely to occur in multi-cat households, animal shelters, pet shops and any other places where several cats live together.
Ironically, the feline parvovirus doesn’t always cause symptoms. Some cats can have the infection, exhibit no visible signs of it whatsoever and then die suddenly because the disease progressed so severely and so rapidly. But, for all concerned kitty owners, the usual symptoms of infected cats are: decreased appetite, depression and lethargy, diarrhea, which may be watery or bloody, fever in the early stages, followed by a low body temperature, frothing at the mouth or vomiting and watery discharge from the nose.
Some or all of these symptoms in your kitten or cat, coupled with a history of exposure and not having been vaccinated make this disease frighteningly likely, and merits an immediate visit to the vet. Stool samples and blood tests will promptly be taken and sent to a lab. The lab may identify the virus in your kitten or cat’s stool while the blood tests would show a reduced number of all cell types (pancytopenia), a characteristic of the disease.
Sadly, no medications, at this time, are capable of killing the virus. Good supportive care with intravenous fluids, nutrients, and antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection may help your kitten or cat survive. While kittens have high mortality rates, older cats have a better chance of surviving this insidious disease.
Given that the most effective way of protecting your kitten is by vaccination, your vet will usually advise you to begin at 8 or 9 weeks of age, with two or three doses administered three to four weeks apart. The last of these should not be before the age of 16 weeks, while a follow-up dose is now being recommended at 26 to 52 weeks. As for adult cats, they must receive regular booster doses of the vaccine (both live and “killed” vaccines are available and are very effective).
Should any of your cats be infected with the virus, they must be isolated from any other cats in a multi-cat home. Their litter boxes must be cleaned and disinfected regularly and you must disinfect your entire home to keep your other pets safe. If your other cats aren’t vaccinated, they, too, are at a high risk of infection.
As the old adage advises: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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Cat Tale stories are written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA. For more information about Furry Friends visit www.furryfriendswa.org or contact them at information@furryfriendswa.org or (360) 993-1097
More Cat Tale stories can be found on the Columbian Newspaper’s website at https://blogs.columbian.com/cat-tales/ The Columbian has hosted the Furry Friends Cat Tale stories from 2015 to August 29, 2025.
