Flu nothing for cats to sneeze at

Saturday, Dec. 25, 1999 | 11:30 a.m.

For some cats, life ends with a sneeze.

A flu epidemic in the Las Vegas Valley is causing many sneezing cats who wind up at shelters to face eternal rest if they have no identification.

"It's probably the worst (epidemic) I've seen in a number of years," said Dr. Joseph Freer, veterinarian and director of Dewey Animal Care at 4800 Dewey Drive, the county's shelter.

"We've had viruses before but antibiotics kept them from a secondary infection. This year they're just not getting over the virus.

"Every shelter in town is seeing that right now," he added. "Shelters are a magnification of what's out there."

A few random sneezes could mean the cat simply has a cold or that it has other upper-respiratory problems. Either way, Freer said, a contagious cat in a shelter threatens the livelihood of all the other potentially adoptable cats.

Cats who wind up at Dewey with no tags or other signs of ownership and appear to be truly suffering are euthanized that day, he added. Those cats with the sniffles are placed in isolation and are not offered for adoption. If they are not claimed in three days they are put down.

"It's not like there's a shortage of cats," he added. "What you're trying to do is protect the healthy cats. There aren't enough people coming and adopting them.

"It's tough on a shelter because you want to get as much out as you can."

The Animal Foundation at 700 N. Mojave Road is also seeing an increase in felines with the flu.

In October the shelter euthanized 250 cats because of the cat flu, compared to 50 that were euthanized last year during the same month.

"That's when I said, there's got to be a better way," Mary Herro, president and founder of the Animal Foundation, said. "To be homeless and in a shelter is highly stressful."

To lower that stress and possibly boost the immune system so the cats won't get sick, shelter officials have devised a plan to create an aromatherapy room.

Shortly after Jan. 1 homeless and abandoned cats that wind up at the Animal Foundation will be living in luxury. The felines will be treated to classical music, dimmed lights, heaters and an abundant supply of catnip.

Vaporizers will emit lavender, an oil known to be a relaxant, Herro said.

The new guest quarters for the cats is just the first step, she said. The second step is (lowering) the public's expectation that the cat has to be perfect.

"Shelters all over the country are trying to prove they have perfect cats by wiping out the entire population to get rid of the sneezers," she said. "It's been challenging for all shelters to figure out what to do."

The Animal Foundation is working toward becoming the nation's first city-run, no-kill shelter by raising funds to build a larger facility across the street from the current one. The shelter will have more space for the animals and separate ventilation.

Until then Herro is hoping the aromatherapy room will stop some of the animals from getting sick.

Shelter officials say the entire problem could be avoided by owners taking preventive measures by keeping their cats inside and vaccinated.

"Cats shouldn't be outside and be exposed to it," Freer said.

Cats should also be tagged and microchipped so the owners can be contacted if their pet ends up at a shelter, he said.

"The public has to help the shelters out," he added. "The shelters get all the blame."

Dewey receives between 30 and 50 cats a day. The shelter keeps an average of 120 to 150 cats at all times, he said. However, only about 8 percent to 14 percent of the animals arrive with identification.

The Henderson Animal Shelter handles about 2,000 cats a year, yet only about 5 percent are identified through tags or microchips, Vicki Cameron, animal control administrator, said.

Henderson Animal Shelter treats the cats with antibiotics. Those who respond within three to five days can be adopted out.

Herro said the the community should continue to adopt the sneezers. Sneezing cats at the Animal Foundation are placed in isolation and treated with antibiotics.

"As long as it stays a mild infection we're going to treat it and adopt it out with medicine," Herro said. "Cats get colds, too. It's cold season for cats."

Freer suggests those who are adopting cats and have others at home should keep the adopted one isolated until it is in good health, Freer said.