If a cat gets the distemper shot, can it still get distemper?
Monday, February 8th, 2010 at
4:01 am
4 kittens we were fostering had distemper. 3 past away. We took the one who survived home and we think she is better, but she may still be contagious. I have two cats of my own who are up to date with their distemper shots, can they still get the distemper? Also, they havent made contact but distemper is an air disease so that doesnt matter.
Filed under: Pet Insurance
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Distemper is one of those diseases that is easy to prevent, and almost impossible to cure. If your cats are up to date, it is highly unlikely that they’ll catch it. The one kitten left will most likely succumb also - distemper has an incubation period of 10 to 14 days. If she makes it 14 days from now, she’s safe.
Distemper is a form of parvo virus. It persists in the environment for up to a year. Bleach will kill it but it’s near impossible to kill in a home environment. It’s best not to bring any cats who are not fully vaccinated into your home until a year has passed, unfortunately.
If you handled the kittens you’ve got distemper virus on your clothing and it won’t go away till the shoes, clothes are washed.
If your cats have been up to date on their shots they can’t get it from the new kitten.