How to Tell if a Cat Has Distemper

Feline distemper, medically known as panleukopenia, is a contagious viral disease that affects the nervous and digestive systems as well as the cat's bone marrow, severely endangering their health and possibly leading to death.

This disease is spread through direct contact with the virus that may be present in another cat, the cat's mother, in the outside environment or through infected fluids such as the water that our animal drinks.

Feline distemper is a disease that can be prevented if we follow the cat's immunization schedule, especially if it is completely domestic pet. However, for animals found in pet shelters or those who leave the house and roam freely and have contact with other cats it may be harder to prevent.

The symptoms of feline distemper presented in early stages may be confused with other conditions, such as poisoning or infection. However, it is good to be aware of these as these signals alone are sufficiently alarming for you to take your cat to the vet, so you should not wait for further symptoms to develop.

During the first days of infection your cat may present the following symptoms:

• Considerable diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Lack of appetite
• Indifference and sadness
• Runny nose
• Dehydration

If the virus continues to develop then your animal could manifest:

• Seizures
• Attacks itself by biting its tail or other parts of its body. Both symptoms occur at a critical stage of the disease.

It is important to understand that if our cat has any symptoms of illness, such severe diarrhoea, fever or vomiting that do not decrease after 24 hours, we must take it immediately to a vet for a check up.

Distemper is not a virus that goes away by itself; on the contrary, it is a virus that can kill your pet quickly, so if you suspect your cat has distemper should take it as soon as possible to the vet.

Feline distemper is very common in younger cats of up to to five months and in those who have not been vaccinated against panleukopenia, in sick cats and those in direct contact with other cats that can be infected, making it very common in animal shelters or stray cats.

There is no proper treatment for feline distemper and no medication can eliminate the virus. However care in focused on reducing symptoms, hydrating the animal and helping in its recovery, assistance which can save its life. Once 5 days have elapsed since contracting the disease the chances of survival increase. It is essential to visit a specialist to receive relevant recommendations and medicines to try to fight the virus.

The best way to prevent feline distemper is to have the animal vaccinated against panleukopenia, which is amongst the mandatory vaccines in many countries and present in the immunization schedule recommended to ensure your cat's health.

If you have several cats and one of them has contracted the virus, it is important to isolate it in a nice atmosphere but away from other animals so to avoid further infections. Consult your veterinarian about the most appropriate measures to be implemented to prevent your other cats contracting distemper.

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