Cat virus wipes out care supplies

Humane society seeking donations after parvo outbreak contaminates items

Blankets, towels, sheets, animal beds and other items for cats are being sought by the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society after an outbreak of feline panleukopenia forced shelter staff to toss items that can't be disinfected.

The outbreak has put all 53 of the shelter's cats in quarantine until Nov. 10, according to the shelter's Facebook page. Feline panleukopenia, also known as feline distemper or feline parvo, is a highly contagious viral disease that infects and kills cells that are rapidly growing and dividing, such as those in the bone marrow, intestines and the developing fetus.

Assistant General Manager Logan Hoskinson said people wishing to donate items can drop them off at the front gate, especially those worried about "bringing something home to their own cats."

"We have gotten a big amount of donations in but not nearly enough to fill up the storage area of where those things go," Hoskinson said.

The announcement about the outbreak was part of the shelter's Tail Wagging Halloween fundraiser, which raised $1,820, exceeding its $1,000 goal to help offset the cats' medical costs.

In addition to new linens and money to offset costs, the humane society is in need of cleaning supplies, Hoskinson said, noting the shelter is running through a lot of paper towels and other "throw away supplies" since workers are avoiding using rags.

Other requested items include bleach and OdoBan disinfectant, rather than vinegar, which he said they have enough of at the moment.

The shelter's cats are vaccinated against feline panleukopenia, but that is not 100% effective, the Facebook post states. Positive test results are coming back all through the cat area, it reads.

The shelter said that all cats experiencing any symptoms would be treated by veterinarians but that treatment and testing would be very expensive due to the number of cats.

Hoskinson said that the shelter has 37 cats in foster homes and 53 cats on site, which has allowed the shelter to keep about eight cages empty.

"That has worked out well for this quarantine situation we have going on," Hoskinson said. "Our staffing is also back to normal, so once things get cleared up and we've gotten rid of the disease, we should be able to take more cats in again."

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.