Amid the coronavirus pandemic, sudden death of several cats in the Mananthavady and Mepaddi regions of Kerala’s Wayanad has created a panic in the local residents of the area.
After the residents approached the government authorities, the Animal Husbandry department arrived to take samples from the carcasses. Upon testing it was found that the death of the cats happened due to Feline Parvovirus. The virus does not transmit from animals to humans.
While speaking to ANI, Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. D Ramachandran said that the vaccines and medication is available for Feline Parvovirus. He said, “There were incidents of death of cats in Manathavady and Mepaddi region of Wayanad. That created panic among residents. The official of the Animal Husbandry Department visited the spots for epidemiological investigations.”
“The samples were collected from the carcasses and were sent to State Institute of Animal Diseases, who confirmed that the deaths were due to Feline Parvovirus. There is no need to worry as the virus does not spread to humans,” he added.
A cat owner claimed that over 13 cats have died within a span of two-three days in the Mepaddi region. She said, “We are afraid of sudden cat deaths during the coronavirus outbreak. We have informed the health department and Animal husbandry department. Officials came and collected the samples.”
The sudden death of several cats has led to a panic in the local residents of Wayanad when Kerala is grossly affected by the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic. The state has reported 408 cases including six new cases in the last 24 hours. 291 people have been recovered and discharged while 3 succumbed to the disease.
Feline Parvovirus
Feline Parvovirus, also referred to as feline panleukopenia virus, is one of the major diseases and carries high mortality rate amongst the unvaccinated kittens. This was one of the first diseases that was known to have been caused to cats due to virus. It is spread directly through faecal-oral contact, and indirectly following contamination of the environment or objects through food dishes, grooming equipment, bedding, floors, clothing or hands.
