Feline Panleukopenia

Feline Panleukopenia Virus (FPV or “panleuk”) is a highly contagious, life-threatening virus that attacks the white blood cells and intestinal lining of young kittens or unvaccinated cats.
The virus is mainly spread through feces and fomites—objects contaminated with viral particles. Common fomites include toys, bedding, hands, food and water dishes, clothing, hair, and carpeting. The virus is extremely durable and can survive in homes or shelters for up to one year if not properly disinfected. Because of this, it can spread quickly between cats, especially among litters of kittens. Infected cats may shed the virus in their feces for up to six weeks.
Panleukopenia can be very serious, particularly for kittens under five months of age. However, with intensive supportive care and treatment, some kittens do survive. Strict cleaning, careful quarantine of exposed areas, and minimizing exposure for cats and kittens are essential to controlling the spread of this virus.

Cheeto and Dutch are panleuk survivors!

FAQs

Question	Answer
What are the signs of illness?	Since the panleukopenia virus attacks a cat’s intestinal lining and their digestive tract, clinical signs usually involve fever, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood), loss of appetite, dehydration, drooling, low energy level or lethargy, and abdominal pain. Kittens less than six months of age are most likely to be the sickest, and affected kittens can die suddenly.​
How long does it take a kitten or cat to get sick?	The incubation period, or period between contact with the virus and the appearance of symptoms, can be as short as three days or as long as two weeks. Four to six days is most common. ​
How is it treated?	Panleukopenia is treated with aggressive supportive care which includes fluid therapy, antibiotics, pain control, and anti-nausea medication. It is also essential that infected animals are isolated from all other animals and kept in an environment that is easy to disinfect to prevent spread of the virus.
What do I need to do to isolate the affected cats and prevent the spread of virus in my home?	Panleukopenia virus is very durable and very contagious, and exposure to even a few viral particles can put a vulnerable cat at risk. Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain strict sanitation protocols to prevent the spread of the virus from the room with the affected cats to other areas of your home to keep future foster cats and kittens safe. Cats that are infected with panleukopenia virus should only be kept in a room that has hard surfaces (e.g. a bathroom or a room without carpeting) with as little furniture as possible. While it is possible to clean carpets and rugs, it is impossible to entirely remove all viral particles. Therefore, keeping sick cats in carpeted rooms can affect your ability to foster kittens or unvaccinated cats in the future. You will need an entirely separate set of clothes that you only wear when you are in the room with the sick cats. We recommend using clothes that you are comfortable with throwing away after the cats are gone from your home or when you need a fresh set of clothes. Due to the durability and severity of this virus, it is not worth the risk to keep using these items. ​Immediately after leaving the room, wash your hands very thoroughly with soap and hot water. Any items that are brought into the room with the cats (blankets, toys, etc.) should be considered contaminated and should not be removed from the room unless they are being immediately ​discarded in a safe manner where no other cat guardians will access or use them.
Do I have to clean my house more than after a normal foster kitten?	Yes! Panleukopenia virus is very durable and very contagious, and a very thorough cleaning of all contaminated environments with a product that is proven to kill panleukopenia is absolutely essential. To be safe, we also strongly recommend cleaning any potentially contaminated environments as well. Therefore, we recommend thoroughly cleaning your entire home once the affected cats have left your home, and repeat the cleaning in 2-3 weeks in case anything was missed. Those viral particles can be persistent and sneaky! ​
What should I use to clean my house and items such as bowls, carriers, crates?	VOKRA prefers fosters use a specific disinfectant called Prevail, which can be picked up from Ops. This is the equivalent of "Rescue" in the United States.  Household bleach will also effectively kill panleukopenia infected environments. Use a 1:32 bleach-to-water ratio. You can also use a "super concentrated" 1:10 bleach-to-water solution, but make sure you have really great ventilation! Either product must be in contact with the infected surface for at least 10 minutes before rinsing or wiping clean.
How should I clean soft surfaces such as bedding, clothing, and soft toys?	You must throw out any soft materials that could be infected instead of trying to disinfect them. Please do not pass on any potentially contaminated items to adopters or return them to the Operations Centre. Due to the durability and severity of this virus, it is not worth the risk to keep ore reuse these items. Please contact [email protected] if you have any concerns or questions about soft items.
How can I clean soft surfaces like furniture or carpeting?	You can spray any non-machine washable soft surfaces using an Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide product such as Prevail, which can be provided at Ops. Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide is not as harsh or irritating a bleach and should be left to air-dry on soft surfaces, with a minimum contact time of 10 minutes before rinsing or washing. It may discolor some surfaces so do a test patch before spraying the entire surface. To clean carpeted spaces, you can use a carpet cleaner or steam cleaning device. Pour some Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide in the soap section of the cleaner and run it like you would normally, letting the carpet air dry.​
Do I need to worry about my own animals?	If your resident cat(s) are fully vaccinated and up-to-date on their FVRCP vaccine, it is unlikely that they will become sick. We require that you keep your cats separate from any sick kittens and out of any infected rooms or spaces until the two deep cleans with viral-killing products have been completed. Monitor your cats closely for any diarrhea, vomiting, decreased energy level, or other signs of illness. Most cats infected with Panleukopenia start showing signs of disease within 4-6 days of exposure, but it could take as long as 14 days for them to appear "sick". ​You do not need to worry about your dogs, panleukopenia only affects cats.​ (Panleukopenia also cannot infect humans.)
When can I foster another litter of kittens?	Since panleukopenia is so hard to clean and contagious for kittens with potential deadly results, we cannot send you home with any unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated kittens for 1 year after your house has been cleaned. To go home with you, after your house is clean, kittens must be at least 4 months old and have at least 2 boosters of the FVRCP vaccine. You can also foster adult cats that have had at least 2 boosters of the FVRCP vaccine.
Can I foster another kitten or litter that has recovered from panleukopenia?	Yes! You are able to foster any kitties who have already been infected with, and recovered from panleukopenia. While cats who had an infection and have recovered are very unlikely to catch panleukopenia again, it is technically possible, so it is really important that you remove as much of the infective panleukopenia virus as you can from your home!