Shelter Sees Increase in Cats Suffering from Distemper

The contagious disease can be deadly

FARGO, N.D. — In recent months, Cat’s Cradle Shelter says it has seen an increase in the number of cats brought in with feline distemper.

This dangerous and contagious disease lives in many places stray cats like to hide out in including barns, abandoned buildings, and surfaces that do not get disinfected regularly or are without sunlight.

It can be extremely harmful as there is a 90% mortality rate.

“They run very high fevers and because of the vomiting, the diarrhea, and the fever, they lose a lot of fluids so they become very dehydrated. They don’t really want to eat, they don’t want to drink, they crawl off and hide,” Cat’s Cradle Volunteer Jill Lamp said.

“This year we’re seeing more and we don’t know if it’s because people are spotting kittens in barns and getting them to us and then they break once they are with us, rather than dying in the barns or if there is something else going on in the environment.”

The cats most vulnerable to distemper are two-to-six month old kittens, immune comprised, or pregnant cats.

The most important thing you can do to avoid having your animal or any other suffer from distemper is to make sure your cat is vaccinated.