AUBURN – An outbreak of feline distemper at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society has killed six cats and halted cat adoptions for at least a week.
Distemper is a viral disease that attacks the feline intestinal tracts. It spreads quickly among cats, but does not affect humans or other animals.
Employees at the Auburn shelter have traced the outbreak to a group of cats that were brought to the shelter a couple of weeks ago by a woman who lives in Auburn.
The cats included a mother and two of her kittens and four other kittens. So far, all but one of those cats has died.
Since the symptoms of distemper take seven to 14 days to show, shelter employees are waiting to see if any of the other 50 cats at the shelter have been infected.
It is the first outbreak in two years, said Executive Director Steven Dostie.
Shelter employees spent Monday working with local veterinarians to disinfect the rooms where the cats are kept. Poor ventilation and overcrowding at the shelter has made the job difficult, Dostie said.
The disease, which is preventable by a series of vaccinations, can be shed in feces and vomit. Since it is airborne, people can also carry it on their clothes and transport it to other cats.
“Since the cat rooms are all attached, employees have to walk through one room to get to the next,” Dostie said.
A new shelter scheduled to be built in about a year has been designed to avoid the problem by having separate rooms for cats, kittens and sick animals as well as a holding room where new deliveries can stay until they’ve been tested for diseases such as distemper.
Dostie urged cat owners in Lewiston-Auburn to watch their cats for symptoms of distemper, pointing out that the disease didn’t originate in the shelter.
“Whatever we get here is in the community,” he said.
Symptoms include loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and depression.
As required by law, the shelter will suspend all cat adoptions for at least one week.
A decision will be made at the beginning of next week on whether more time is needed.
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