Sacramento officials confirmed Sunday afternoon that city animal shelter workers euthanized 50 cats out of 117 housed at the shelter after the felines started exhibiting symptoms of a deadly virus.
The outbreak of panleukopenia, or feline distemper, was detected Friday when a cat was found dead in its cage. Workers subsequently tested seven other cats and found the virus in four.
City officials closed the cat adoption center to limit spread of the virus.
That cat adoption center is expected to open again Tuesday, said Rhea Serran, animal shelter spokeswoman.
The city animal shelter is not a no-kill facility, but euthanizing 50 cats in one day is highly unusual, Serran said.
Feline distemper is similar to parvo in dogs, but cats cannot spread the disease to canines or humans, Serran said.
She also noted that the shelter has many cats housed off-site in foster care.
Those animals have not been affected by the problem at the shelter, and they also are all available for adoption.
Officials also are still trying to determine how the virus got into the shelter. Cats are generally vaccinated for the disease as soon as they are brought in.
Call The Bee's David Richie, (916) 608-7455.
