In the past couple of weeks, a highly contagious virus has claimed the lives of 45 cats and kittens died at Craig Street Cats.
"Feline parvovirus was accidentally brought in to our shelter with a group of kittens returning from foster care," said Craig Street Cats Executive Director Lynne Scott.
Scott said the illness spread before staff knew other animals were exposed.
Now, the facility is under a strict quarantine.
But the virus already made its impact.
One third of the cats and kittens at the facility died. Scott said they didn't exhibit any symptoms of parvovirus, which is passed through direct contact with animal body fluids.
Dogs are also susceptible to a canine strain of the virus.
Symptoms don't always show but owners can look for signs.
"We'll see that they become really quite lethargic, so really quite tired and weak, often (no appetite), so they don't want to eat anymore, but, yes, just having vomiting and diarrhea can be sort of a sign," said Dr. Melanie Youngs, a veterinarian with the Winnipeg Humane Society.
The Winnipeg Humane Society is also managing an outbreak of the illness in both dogs and cats.
Parvovirus is costly to treat.
Animals can survive when the sickness is caught early, but vet bills will reach into the thousands.
Dr. Youngs says prevention is easy. “Routine vaccination will prevent it."
The virus can live in an environment for years.
At Craig Street Cats that comes with a cost. The shelter now has to pay for vet bills and replace anything that could have come in contact with the virus.
"It's been a devastating experience," said Lynne Scott. “We estimate that we're going to need $35,000 to recover from this."
It will take another two weeks to know if the rest of the cats are safe.
Until then, the facility remains under a full quarantine.
More details on fundraising efforts are available online.
