Disinfecting after Panleukopenia?

[HollyWoozle]

I am seeking some advice regarding disinfecting room/house/clothes after cats infected with panleukopenia have been living there. It's an extremely sad situation but I have been fostering a stray cat for about 6 weeks and she had 6 kittens around 3 weeks ago. Sadly they contracted panleukopenia... I guess we must've carried it on on our shoes or maybe it was already in the room (we only moved here in June). One of the little kittens passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday and now they are all being cared for in an isolation unit back at the cat charity. I understand that the mortality rate in young kittens is very high and I am so sad to think that the kittens are likely to die from this.

I need to disinfect the room to make it safe for any cats in the future (we don't have other pets and will be in no rush to foster again, plus most cats are vaccinated, but want to kill it off) and also so we don't carry it around with us. I have high strength Anigene from the charity and also have Virkon S, plus I am of course willing to buy anything else which will help. They were confined to one room fortunately and the carpet will be pulled up and disposed of and I will disinfect all hard surfaces, inc. walls and furniture, a few times at least. Bowls were stainless steel so same with those.

I am thinking it's not worth risking it with things like any beds they touched. The kittens were born and lived primarily under a new futon, but I don't see a safe way to disinfect the fabric/cushion part and think that will have to go, along with the cat tower, scratching posts, window blind (is fabric and mama cat sat on the window sill sometimes) and I guess also the litter tray... I can disinfect it but just seems too risky to keep that. The mama cat had an upset tummy for a while before she was tested.

I am not sure how best to ensure we kill it on clothes? I can't say exactly which clothes we wore in the room with them and so I plan to wash everything from now in such a way as to kill the virus - I know that a bleach solution works but am not sure if I can buy colour-safe laundry bleach and if that will be sufficient. I think I can also spray Virkon S on fabrics so can spray everything with that too.

If anyone has any thoughts or tips on how we can tackle this or any products they have used then I'd be really grateful. The charity will keep me updated on the health of the cats but I am trying to be realistic (but keeping everything crossed!).

Thank you very much.

My other plan was to steam clean and Virkon S the carpet on the landing and stairs outside the room and the hard floors we have in all other rooms, as I assume we will have traipsed it around the house. I don't think steam cleaning carpets is sufficient but was thinking if I steam clean and spray every week then over time we will get rid of it.

 

[di and bob]

I have researched and learned accelerated peroxide also works to kill the virus and is not near as harsh as bleach on soft surfaces. It is available in cleaners such as Zep and others. Putting some in the steamer would work on soft surfaces, like carpeting and clothes.
I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I went through distemper with my ferals and it was devastating. The vaccinations definitely work as almost all that lived were vaccinated. Mothers can pass it on to the newborns with no symptoms because they may be a carrier. If you would still like to foster, and I hope you will, (it is so VERY needed) you might start with an older kitten or cat that has already had its vaccinations, especially at the beginning. Then in 6-12 months foster newborns again. My heart goes out to you, it sounds like you have everything in control!

 

[HollyWoozle]

This is really helpful, thanks so much di and bob ! I would love to foster again eventually, it has just been a bit traumatic. I had fostered a few adult cats before when living alone in a flat, then moved into a house with my fiancé in June and he agreed we could foster again. Ended up with this very nervous stray mama and it has all turned into a nightmare, we are just so sad for the cats and hope they pull through.

Grateful for your advice and hope to eradicate this awful virus from our home.

 

[di and bob]

Oh, I think you will, you are going about it very well! Vaccinated cats are safe in the near future! I didn't clean near that well, after all most were outside, I did disinfect feeding bowls, beds, and bedding, all our shoes, and the shop where I kept the sick ones. It ran it;s course over a couple of weeks, killing so many kittens, and then went away thank God. I had one litter that I was just ready to adopt out right when all this happened, thank goodness they became sick before. I had two, year-old brothers that survived it on their own,

 

[silent meowlook]

The link below has good information.

Feline Panleukopenia - University of Wisconsin Madison Shelter Medicine Program