MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A Marion County animal shelter and several others across Central Florida are warning cat owners about a deadly contagious disease sweeping across our state.
“It’s enough for us to go ahead and shut that down so we don’t have to see 10 or 20 kittens die,” said Marion County Animal Center Volunteer Coordinator Andres Alvarado.
The shelter announced in the last week it was suspending cat adoptions, as well as intake, spay and neuter services, all to slow the spread of feline panleukopenia virus.
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They have 39 cats inside their facility with 379 more cats being fostered, which is why they’re doing everything they can to keep them all safe.
“We’re limiting traffic in each room so our staff is one per room to clean. They wear P.P.E., change their clothes and use a lot of sanitation,” Alvarado said.
It is a virus which infects the gastrointestinal system, causing vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms.
Ninety percent of cats who catch the disease could die without treatment, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
County officials are encouraging cat owners to take extra precautions
“It’s like anything else, you just want to limit the exposure. If you are handling feral or community cats you want to make sure you’re sanitizing or cleaning or wear gloves while you’re handling those animals,” Alvarado said.
Lake County and Orange County also took similar actions this month. Orange County said its cat adoptions and intake reopened this week.
Alvarado said they will continue monitoring the situation and quarantine their cats until it’s safe to reopen.
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