Feline panleukopenia is a life-threatening viral disease causing severe gastrointestinal and immune system damage, largely preventable through vaccination.
Kittens with panleukopenia experience extreme suffering from severe gastrointestinal disease and bone marrow destruction. The combination of vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, and immune suppression is devastating. Intensive care including IV fluids, antiemetics, nutritional support, and infection control gives meaningful survival odds. Death without treatment is near-certain for severely affected kittens. Vaccination provides excellent protection and represents one of the most effective welfare interventions available for the cat population. Unvaccinated shelter populations are at particular risk.