2024-05-13 23:02:01
Cats prostate lack of appetite, in the presence of fever and intestinal disorders. These are the symptoms of typhus in cats. This viral disease is easier to prevent than to treat. It is very difficult to cure a cat suffering from typhus and the result is often tragic and death is possible. Veterinarians and associations are warning about this phenomenon, mainly because animals are not vaccinated enough (Photo rb/www.imazpress.com)
Often kittens are affected by forms whose development is often fatal. However, adult cats are not saved.
It is important to note that distemper is a disease specific to cats and is harmless to humans or other animal species.
– 90% fatal –
Animals pollute each other. And often, the result is fatal for the animal, if prompt care is not provided.
“This disease is 90% fatal – within 24 to 48 hours – if it is not caught in time. And even with treatment, the result is often fatal, almost 50% die.”
This virus attacks, among other things, immune cells (feline panleukopenia) and can cause rapid death. Kittens under 12 months of age and not vaccinated are the most susceptible cats, as well as debilitated cats, for example carrying FIV, and elderly cats.
“Feline distemper is a highly contagious disease caused by a parvovirus,” explains Joëlle Forbes from the Montagne veterinary clinic. “This resistant virus can survive for a year in the external environment.”
“You can bring it home through your shoes or clothes, so there is a risk that it will contaminate your cat even if it does not leave your home,” says the clinic on its social networks.
The infection associated with virus shedding is very important during the acute phase of the disease but continues up to six weeks after recovery, or even several months.
“It is therefore necessary to isolate a cat sick with typhus,” remind the vets.
When you are in the presence of an infectious animal, hygiene measures are necessary to limit contamination. “Disinfecting premises and objects with bleach is essential to prevent infection of cats that are still healthy and transmission to the rest of the community.”
– Highly resistant virus –
Symptoms usually appear after an incubation period of 2 to 10 days. Some serious forms lead to death within a few hours.
In other cases, the disease progresses over several days with general symptoms (fever, anorexia, marked weight loss, depression, dehydration), digestive (profuse diarrhea and vomiting, abdominal pain), nervous (tremors and coordination problems), reproductive anomalies (congenital malformation of cysts, abortion, fertility problems in infected cats), ocular (retinal detachment leading to sudden blindness or failure of optic nerve development), or sudden death.
The feline typhus virus, in particular, attacks the digestive system and the bone marrow. Damage to the bone marrow causes panleukopenia (a global drop in all white blood cells) and destroys the animal’s immune defenses. ill
“A blood test or blood smear will show a sharp reduction in white blood cells. To confirm this disease, a stool test must be done which can be done at the clinic,” says the La Montagne veterinary clinic.
“Please note that the reliability of this test is only valid if it is positive. False negatives are common, meaning your cat may test negative even though it carries feline parvovirus. Yes it is important, therefore, to also rely on clinics, blood tests and epidemiology.”
Without treatment, feline panleukopenia is generally fatal, and there is no specific or antiviral medication.
Depending on the state of the cat’s health, hospitalization may be necessary “to stabilize it and help it overcome this illness”, Joëlle Forbes points out. Hospitals with infusions for rehydration and supply of glucose and electrolytes, anti-diarrheals, antispasmodics and anti-emetics, antibiotic therapy, tube feeding assistance, maintaining body temperature, etc.
– The vaccine as the only solution –
There is only one solution: the vaccine.
The vaccination is carried out from eight weeks of age and is administered in two injections one month apart and the first annual booster dose then every 1 to 3 years depending on the route and place of residence.
In a very high risk area like Reunion, “the primary vaccination must be earlier, including the third injection around 4-5 months of age, then a booster every year”, states the La Montagne clinic.
Please note that the vaccine cannot be used in pregnant or lactating cats, and should not be mixed with the rabies vaccine.
Please note that you may adopt a feline that is already infected with this infectious disease or that you may be carrying this infectious disease but it was not apparent at the time you adopted it. That is why the crippling versa exists. In this case, the sale can be invalidated and therefore the cat returned to the breeder in exchange for a full refund of the amount paid.
To do this, you must obtain a certificate of suspicion from your veterinarian no later than 5 days after you have adopted the animal.
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