Fraser Coast pound closes doors after cat flu outbreak

A deadly outbreak at a regional Queensland pound has forced the local council to have dozens of animals destroyed and call in deep cleaners.

An outbreak of cat flu at the Fraser Coast pound has claimed the lives of 24 cats and means it will be at least two weeks before surviving felines are available to be rehomed.

The highly contagious disease has a range of symptoms from coughing, fatigue and loss of appetite through to mouth and eye ulcers.

Serious cases of cat flu can lead to permanent eye damage, pneumonia and death in the animals.

A COVID-19 style deep clean will now take place.

“Council has been working with our vets and following their advice on how best to handle this outbreak, which sadly has meant that 24 cats have had to be euthanised,” Fraser Coast Regional Council executive manager regulatory services Steven Gatt said.

“The veterinary advice is that cats who get cat flu become lifelong carriers and will infect other cats they come into contact with, which is extremely challenging to deal with and treat in a facility like a pound and adoption centre.

“Council always seeks to avoid euthanasia wherever possible, but it can be required when serious illnesses such as cat flu or Parvo take hold.”

Mr Gatt said while the council’s routine cleaning and disinfection processes were based on industry best practice, a professional cleaning contractor had been engaged to assist to stop the spread of the disease.

“The deep cleaning process may take several treatments to be effective so it will be some time before cats can be rehomed again from the Adoption Centre,” he said.

“This is an emotional and difficult time for the staff involved and we thank the community for their patience and understanding while we work to bring this outbreak under control.”

Mr Gatt said vaccinations were vital to help prevent cat flu and while Council vaccinates all cats prior to adoption, it has no control over the vaccination status of the cats coming into its facilities.

“This outbreak should serve as a timely reminder for all cat owners to ensure their pets are fully vaccinated and receive their annual booster shots,” he said.