Contagious Parvovirus outbreak spreads across Melbourne, experts warn

While we battle the coronavirus, cats are falling victim to their own deadly disease with an outbreak spreading across Melbourne.

Months of lockdown has prevented families from vaccinating their cats against parvovirus, with a deadly outbreak now spreading across Melbourne, according to experts.

Months of lockdown have prevented families from vaccinating their cats against parvovirus, with a deadly outbreak now spreading across Melbourne, experts say.

Found Hearts Melbourne Street Cat Project director Holly Richardson said the outbreak was “so contagious and nasty” the death rate among felines was 100 per cent.

“It’s spread like wild fire,” she told Leader.

“I lost my first litter of kittens in December and since then I’ve heard of similar stories in animal shelters right across the city.”

Ms Richardson said months of lockdown in 2020 prevented families from vaccinating their cats against the disease, and by the time restrictions had eased cats had already started breeding.

She said much of the city’s outbreaks were connected to animal shelters in Frankston.

“Given how many have it in rescue shelters down there I would say it’s highly likely that parvovirus is now out on the streets,” she said.

“We’re in a pretty bad situation where now if you have a cat with diarrhoea it is tested straight away for parvovirus, whereas previously you’d only get told to put your cat on a bland diet and if that doesn’t change to come back in.

“So the whole diagnostic process has now changed so that we can try and get on top of this.”

Ms Richardson said other exposure sites across Melbourne were Dandenong South, Melton, Altona, Meadow Heights and Cranbourne.

Parvovirus expert Dr Mark Kelman said the first cases of parvovirus emerged in Melbourne in December last year, where more than 50 infections were recorded.

“That’s quite a few for a single month,” he said.

“There’s still more cases happening in January and February — these sorts of outbreak are very much like COVID-19, they have the potential to escalate quite quickly.”

Dr Kelman said cats not vaccinated due to the lockdowns meant the likelihood of the virus circulating among family pets was “very real”.

“Transmission in animal shelters is always a huge concern because you’ve got animals coming in that aren’t vaccinated,” he said.

“It spreads in faeces and diarrhoea is the main symptom — the transmission then occurs through fomites where you’ve got cats or humans walking through faeces and then taking the virus from one area into another.”

Vomiting can also be a symptom of parvovirus, with cats only expected to live between 48-72 hours after contracting the virus.

Pet owners concerned about their feline should see their local veterinarian clinic as soon as possible.

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