Cat services halted at Marion County Animal Services after spike in feline disease

File photo: A cat is shown in its cage in a cat adoption room at the Marion County Animal Center in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

Cat intakes, adoptions and shelter-neuter-release services have been halted at Marion County Animal Services after a spike in a feline disease.

Animal Services announced on Tuesday that many services for cats would be immediately suspended for a week after a Feline Panleukopenia outbreak. Feline Panleukopenia, or Panleuk, is a highly infectious and potentially fatal disease in cats that most severely affects kittens.

“Unfortunately, Panleuk is common in animal shelters, especially during kitten season, which is in full swing. This virus mostly impacts the gastrointestinal system and symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and anorexia,” according to Animal Services.

The disease is not contagious to humans or dogs.

“The most common symptom is sudden death and MCAS is sadly seeing a sharp increase in these cases. Fosters have reported kittens behaving completely normal the previous day and being found deceased or near death the following morning. Some kittens can be incubating or shedding the virus and not show symptoms, making this virus challenging to isolate,” according to Animal Services.

While Animal Services monitors feline populations for exposure and illness, all intakes, adoptions and spay-neuter-release services for cats in Marion County will be on pause in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

For the community to help stop the spread, the county encourages citizens to practice “Don’t Kitnap” and “Wait ‘Til 8” procedures. If a kitten is less than six weeks old, the best way to ensure its survival is to leave kittens where they are so they can remain with their mother. For kittens over six weeks old, citizens are encouraged to use social media or reach out to people to find a suitable home for the kitten, in addition to checking with local shelters for spaying and neutering options.

“’Wait ‘Til 8’ means to wait until kittens are eight weeks old before rehoming, taking them away from their mother, sterilizing them or turning them in to a shelter,” according to Animal Services.

Animal Services also asks for the community’s help to foster kittens to avoid exposure to the Panleuk virus.

Marion County will announce when the suspension of cat services is lifted online at animalservices.marionfl.org