DONATIONS NEEDED! ALL CATS & KITTENS ON QUARANTINE AT TCHS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
On 9/11/17, a stray cat that had been in our care since August 25th was found deceased in it’s cage. A test done this morning confirmed Panleukopenia, better known as Feline Distemper. Because this disease is extremely contagious and can spread easily in shelter settings, all cats and kittens are on immediate quarantine until further notice while we assess their health. If you have adopted a feline from us on or after August 25th, our staff will be calling you to see how your cat is doing. With our Back to School Cat Sale, we have 105 calls to make, which might take us a few days! Feel free to call us at (320) 252-0896 with any concerns or, better yet, call your veterinarian to see what they would advise. If you have not visited your vet yet, we highly recommend you do so.
For all cat owners in the St. Cloud area, since Distemper is known to be in the environment we recommend doing your very best to keep your cat(s) indoors and updating their Distemper booster vaccines as needed.
If you are in need of surrendering your cat, please understand that we would love to help you but we have very limited space for new cats. We will be turning our small grooming/get acquainted room into a make-shift cat room for emergency intakes only. For the safety of your cat, we hope you understand.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Quarantine periods are very costly to animal shelters. Adoption income drops while expenses rise as we analyze and monitor animals for any signs of illness. Please keep the animals in your thoughts during this time, and if it is in your means, all donations are greatly appreciated.
Supplies needed! Animal Needs: http://a.co/ct2Z7Cv Shelter Needs: http://a.co/3Pg7SHn Donate by phone: (320) 252-0896
CAT QUARANTINE UPDATE:
Since Tuesday, a total of two adult cats and two separate litters of kittens have tested positive for Feline Distemper. Our sincere thanks to all who have offered their concern, positive thoughts/prayers, and support in the way of donations while we work hard to prevent other cats from getting Feline Distemper. We're hopeful that the worst is behind us, but this was a difficult week and we still have at least one more week to go before we are in the clear. Please keep our kitties and our staff in your thoughts.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Feline Distemper is in the St. Cloud area. It can survive in the environment for up to a year and freezing temperatures do not affect the virus. The best way to protect your cat is to make sure they are up to date on their Distemper vaccinations. This vaccine is extremely effective and cats will be fully protected in as little as 3 days following their vaccination.
WHAT WE ARE DOING:
We have been consulting with ASPCA animal welfare professionals and shelter medicine veterinarian, Dr. Sandra Newbury this week. With their assistance and expertise, we have developed a plan to determine which cats in our care are the most at risk and which ones should be protected thanks to prior vaccinations. Dr. Sandra Newbury's team has also graciously offered to help us analyze blood samples on the high risk cats in our care, so we should have a better handle on if the Distemper cases we have seen were contained or if it is still in our shelter. Samples will be submitted early next week with results by the end of next week.
There are 7 cats with prior vaccine history that Dr. Sandra Newbury's team has deemed completely protected and safe to adopt out at this time. All other cats and kittens will be kept on quarantine through that period and we will not be receiving cats except for strays during this time. All new strays will be kept in a separate, completely disinfected room and certain staff will be asigned to them so as to prevent potential cross-contamination.
Thank you so much for your continued support and help. Our expenses continue to rise, and our income with the lack of cat adoptions has dropped significantly this week. Please consider a donation to help us through this difficult time.
*Our utmost thanks to ASPCA and Dr. Sandra Newbury and team for your very valuable and life-saving assistance!
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