GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – A north Florida animal shelter has temporarily stopped accepting and adopting out cats after a kitten was found to have a contagious disease.
Officials say a kitten brought to the Alachua County Animal Service shelter in Gainesville July 26 died in its cage.
They say the kitten had feline panleukopenia, which is a virus that is easily spread and potentially fatal.
The Gainesville Sun (http://bit.ly/NlnQNe ) reports the shelter medicine program at the University of Florida College of Medicine will begin testing the shelter’s 150 cats on Wednesday.
Program director Julie Levy says it will take several days to get the results back and to see if any new cases pop up.
Officials say anyone who adopted a cat recently should watch for signs of the virus, including vomiting and diarrhea.
___
Information from: The Gainesville Sun, http://www.gainesvillesun.com
