feline distemper

[pattycakes]

what is best way of making sure that feline distemper is not in house? How strong should bleach solution be? What do you bleach? Carpets? etc.. We recently took in stray that had to be euthanized due to Immune disorder, it was very ill.
adopted rescue kitten shortly after, the kitten died after 3 days. We are so sad and feeling very guilty. Stray didn't show signs of distemper, but still.....

[Lucky Rescue]

So sorry to hear about your kitties!

Why do you think they had distemper? Were they diagnosed with it?

Distemper is spread through secretions and feces, and even fleas may spread it, if they have bitten an infected cat.

If you make sure your house is flea-free and any new cat you bring in is vaccinated first, you should have no problem with a new kitty.

[pattycakes]

The stray cat had peed in my daughter's room and I had cleaned it up but didn't bleach it. The day we took stray to vet it peed in carrier which I did bleach, (but maybe not enough?) The rescue kitten came from a "clean" foster home = no distemper there. The kitten started to get lethargic after 1 day at our house. Spoke to rescue lady, she said kitty was pretty laid back at her house. 2nd day kitty was the same, no vomit, just lethargic and not eating, thought maybe just adjusting to new home. Late that day kitty vomitted
but was still drinking water and rescue lady said she'd arrange appt. for vet next day. 3rd day kitty seemed better in morning, still drinking but throwing up after. Kitty died later that day. Both rescue lady and I were sure it wasn't distemper so didn't bother to have blood test, but now I'm worried that stray had distemper but wasn't showing symptoms.

[Lucky Rescue]

The symtoms of feline distemper are pretty dramatic - vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and anorexia.

It is also pretty much 100% fatal if not treated, so I would chance to say that your stray cat probably didn't have it. Did the vet tell you what he died of?

I'm also kind of shocked that this "rescue lady" never bothered taking this kitten to the vet during the time she had it. I've personally never seen a little kitten who was "laid back" or lethargic.

[pattycakes]

This rescue group doesn't believe in vaccinations.( Much to my regret.) The stray cat was euthanized due to very poor health due to Kitty AIDS. Unfortunately, we already had a cat and the stray was very much an outdoor cat, I didn't want to chance our cat getting sick also. Sounds selfish I know. I couldn't find any rescue group to take the stray even before I found out it was sick. I was going to get another "young cat", but if they won't give
it vaccinations, I guess I'll have to pass.
My daughter is devastated as the stray kinda replaced our dog that died in September at 10 years of age. Now we've had 3 deaths in under 6 months, and I'm just shell shocked to say the least. I don't know how people do rescue work and lose animals all the time without losing their spirits as well.

[Lucky Rescue]

This rescue group doesn't believe in vaccinations

We don't vaccinate either, but we have all our cats vet checked, and if the cat is a stray (and particularly if the cat is an intact tom) we do testing for FiV (kitty AIDS) and for leukemia! This way, we can inform any potential adopters of the cat's illness.

If the FiV is not active, and the cat is not sick, they can live a long and normal life even with this illness. Of course, if you have other cats in the home, then they are at risk to contract this illness.

We don't lose cats all the time, and euthanize only if the cat is terminally ill. This has happened very seldom, but it still hurts a great deal.

I can imagine how devastated you are to lose so many cats in such a short time.

If you are looking for another cat, I suggest you go to a rescue who DOES health testing on them.

Where are you located?

[mona_b]

Also,with distemper,isn't there something about the eyes?Something to do with that white part that they are half covering the eyes?

Hope that made sense.

[pattycakes]

I'm in the east part of Toronto, and yes
Mona the kitten's eyes looked odd the last 2 days. Maybe it was distemper from the stray, even though he wasn't showing symptoms. thank goodness I got my cat vaccinated or I'd be even more bummed
out.
Lucky, how quick do the vaccines work on a kitten? I know they get shots @ 8 wks. and a booster @ 12 wks. but would it be safe to bring a kitten home after only lst
set of shots? In the meantime my house
smells like a bleach factory - I'm not sure
what to do about my daughter's carpet -
the kitten was sick on it. Should I wipe
down with weak bleach solution and hope
that it kills any virus and doesn't wreck the carpet?

[Lucky Rescue]

Maybe it was distemper from the stray, even though he wasn't showing symptoms

To give you good advice, we need to know if this cat did have distemper.
You say he had no symptoms, so how do you know he had it?

[pattycakes]

i'm just trying to figure out why kitten died after 3 days - no distemper where he came from. The kitten seemed fine when he first got here around 6 p.m. and next morning. Then suddenly he started to get very lethargic and not eat. The only connection is the stray cat having been in the house and urinating in room and carrier. At 1st distemper didn't cross my mind when kitten died - stray didn't show symptoms of distemper, tests at vet showed FIV- maybe just carrier of disease?
Maybe kitten didn't die of distemper but it sure sounds like it after reading symptoms. I guess I'm just scared to get
another kitten/cat in case it was distemper. Maybe I'll hold off for a year and bleach everything in the meantime.

[mona_b]

Well the incubation period from infection to clinical signs develop is 3 to 5 days.

Here is the link I got that from.


http://www.askdrpetra.com/Cats/Panle...0in%20Cats.htm

[pattycakes]

mona,
thanks for info - seems like the kitten got sick and died rather quickly according to the web site.
I think I'll continue to bleach everything I can think of and try and find out about the vaccinations ( how quickly they work etc.)
My daughter really wants to get another
cat, but I don't want another death because I wasn't careful enough. They are just so innocent and vunerable and I feel so bad that I maybe somehow caused the poor little guy to die.