Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) - parvovirus in cats

Feline panleukopenia virus also known as Feline Parvovirus is a virus that remains in the environment for a long time.
The virus is excreted with the faeces as soon as a cat shows signs of illness. This excretion can continue for several weeks to months after the symptoms have disappeared. The annoying thing is that the virus remains infectious in the environment for years; it does not necessarily require contact with a sick cat to become infected. However, most populations of cats have sufficient immunity to feline distemper either by vaccination or by passing through mild infections.

If you suspect Parvo virus in your remaining cats, you should immediately isolate them in a separate room. It is advisable to disinfect all areas where the cat has been with Virkon S. Cat disease is extremely contagious and can also pass through humans to other cats i.e. if you pet a sick cat and then pet a healthy cat, the latter can become infected. So make sure you disinfect your hands each time before touching another cat. You can also transmit the virus via your shoes. So it is best to wear protective clothing and shoes when you take care of a sick cat and to remove them when you go to another room.

Sick cats remain contagious to other cats for 2 weeks after their symptoms have disappeared! Keep this in mind if you have multiple cats. Do not immediately put another unvaccinated cat in the same room where the deceased cats stayed. You should first air the room and thoroughly disinfect it with VirkonS, as well as all the furniture, scratching post, toys, blankets ... with which the sick cats have come into contact. It is also advisable to vaccinate the other cats against the virus. This way they are better protected against possible residues of the virus. Keep in mind that a kitten needs to be vaccinated again after 3 weeks before it has sufficient resistance to the virus.