Cat virus hits Durban

Vaccinate to prevent spread across the country, say vets

CAT LOVERS have been abuzz on social media the past few days amid claims that a deadly feline virus is spreading “across the country”, while vets have urged owners to ensure their pets have had inoculations.

On Thursday, Nikki Moore from Cats of Durban also urged cat owners to vaccinate their pets against the Pan Leukopenia virus.

“To our knowledge, the virus was first identified in Durban in a colony of feral cats in North Coast Road late last month.

“At first it was thought to only affect kittens, or stray and feral cats. However, it has now jumped to domestic cats and poses a threat to felines everywhere,” said Moore.

She added that the virus incubated for 10 to 14 days without any visible signs, with some symptoms becoming apparent after the third day. This may include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and eventually coma and collapse.

“The virus is highly contagious and remains in the environment for months,” warned Moore.

Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital’s Dr Pieter Hanekom said they had one confirmed case of the virus.

“We did have one case about 10 days ago. But the virus is included in the normal threein-one or four-in-one vaccines, so if a cat is up to date with vaccinations, there should be no problem. An unvaccinated animal could be in danger.

“This virus is not something we see often and is very similar to the dog parvo virus, but as far as we know it is species-specific,” said Hanekom.

SPCA Durban and Coast spokeswoman Lindsey Concer said they had heard about the virus, but had no reported cases. “It does have similar symptoms to other diseases and if an ill cat is brought in, it is euthanised because we cannot keep any animals which could be highly contagious. Pan Leukopenia is covered by regular vaccinations, so it would be stray or feral cats which would be at risk,” said Concer.

Westville Veterinary Hospital said they had no reported cases, as did Northdene Veterinary Clinic, which added that cases of Pan Leukopenia had “not been seen for 10 years”.

“It’s possible that Pan Leukopenia can be confused with feline upper respiratory disease, which is quite common”.

Volunteer cat trapper Bridget Slogrove, who helps abandoned and feral cats, said it seemed the virus had resurfaced after a number of years. “Cat owners must maintain proper procedures and ensure any cats are inoculated. If you vaccinate your cats, there is nothing to worry about,” said Slogrove.