DES MOINES – Since the Animal Rescue League of Iowa went into the basement of a Des Moines home last week to rescue dozens of cats and kittens, veterinarians with the ARL have learned more information about what killed some of the cats.
Three more cats were taken from the basement since the first trip by ARL staff, bringing the total number of rescued animals from the Des Moines home to 77 cats and kittens.
“Our veterinarians have performed necropsies on the deceased cats and found that some of the deaths were related to panleukopenia, a highly contagious viral disease that can be particularly deadly to kittens,” said the ARL in a social media post.
Because of this, all of the cats and kittens associated with this rescue case have been placed into quarantine for the next two weeks, effectively shutting down two rooms in the shelter.