Feline panleukopenia ("cat parvo"): signs, treatment and prevention

Every week in Rangpur we see kittens with panleukopenia. The sad pattern is almost always the same: an unvaccinated kitten, a day or two of vomiting and “loose motion” treated at home, and then a kitten that arrives too weak to save. This guide is here to break that pattern.

What is panleukopenia?

Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is a parvovirus. It attacks rapidly dividing cells — the lining of the intestine and the bone marrow — so infected cats get severe vomiting and diarrhoea and lose the white blood cells they need to fight infection. “Panleukopenia” literally means “low white cells everywhere”.

Early signs

• Sudden lethargy — the kitten that was playing yesterday is hiding today
• Not eating, sometimes sitting hunched over the water bowl
• Vomiting (often frothy or yellow)
• Diarrhoea, which may become watery or bloody
• Fever, which later drops to a dangerously low temperature
• Dehydration — sunken eyes, tacky gums
• In young kittens, sudden death with few warning signs

If a kitten or unvaccinated cat is vomiting and not eating, treat it as urgent. Use our symptom checker if you’re unsure — it will tell you to come in.

How it spreads

The virus is shed in huge numbers in stool and vomit. It survives months to a year on floors, litter trays, bowls, clothes and shoes. That’s why indoor cats can catch it — you can carry it in on your shoes from the street or a market.

Diagnosis

At our clinic, a rapid antigen test on a stool sample gives an answer in about 10 minutes. A blood count showing very low white cells supports the diagnosis and helps us judge how severe it is. See diagnostics & lab.

Treatment

There is no medicine that kills the virus. Treatment supports the cat until its immune system recovers:

• Fluids to correct dehydration — the single most important treatment
• Anti-nausea medicines to stop vomiting
• Antibiotics to protect against bacteria leaking from the damaged gut
• Nutrition — small amounts of food as early as possible
• Warmth and nursing care, in isolation from other cats

Cats that survive the first 5 to 7 days usually recover well. Recovered cats have long-lasting immunity.

If you have other cats

• Isolate the sick cat immediately.
• Other unvaccinated cats and kittens in the home are at high risk — talk to us about vaccinating them.
• Use separate bowls, litter trays and clothes for the sick cat.

Cleaning your home

Most household disinfectants (including alcohol and many floor cleaners) do not kill parvoviruses. Use bleach diluted 1:32 (about 30 ml of household bleach in 1 litre of water), freshly mixed, left on surfaces for 10 minutes and then rinsed. Wash bedding hot, and throw away items that can’t be disinfected. Keep bleach away from cats until it’s rinsed and dry.

Prevention

Two doses of the combined “flu” vaccine, 3–4 weeks apart — with the last dose at 12–16 weeks or later — protect the vast majority of cats. Then a yearly booster. See our cat vaccination schedule or build a personal schedule with the vaccination tool.

Pregnant cats infected with FPV can have kittens with cerebellar hypoplasia (wobbly, uncoordinated movement). Vaccinate before breeding.