Dog adoptions resumed Monday at the Humane Society of North Central Iowa. However, the shelter's separate facility housing cats has been closed.
Laurie Hagey, interim executive director, said five cats began showing signs of illness on Friday, and three of those died over the weekend.
"We've now quarantined the cat house," she said. "No cats in, no cats out."
She said they have not been able to identify the virus infecting the cats and have sent a culture to Iowa State University for testing. Symptoms are sneezing, coughing, running nose and eventually the mucus becomes bloody, said Hagey.
A representative at Holm Animal Hospital, 1914 First Ave. S., said it will take several days for the tests to identify the virus. The remaining two cats appear to be recovering from the symptoms.
"We don't know enough about this virus yet," said Hagey. "We don't know how serious it is at this point."
She said until she knows what kind of antibiotics to use they will stop the adoption of cats in an effort to contain the disease.
The cat building will remain closed until further notice, she said. The Humane Society needs to know, and properly treat, the illness before it lets the felines go to new homes.
The cat facility may have been closed, but the building housing dogs is now open.
"It's a good news, bad news, situation," she said. "The dogs are looking great."
The dogs are recovering from parvovirus - which is not transmittable to cats -and are now eligible for adoption again, Hagey said.
Of the nine dogs that were diagnosed with parvo, four died.
"That's pretty successful," she said. "We did catch it early and were able to save a majority of the dogs."
Parvo attacks a dog's intestinal tract, leading to loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness and bloody diarrhea. In the worst cases, it can lead to death, said Culley Holm, a veterinarian at Holm Animal Hospital. It is contracted through oral contact with infested stools.
Adult dogs are less susceptible to the disease and there is a vaccine available. Keeping a pet up to date on shots is the best protection against parvo, he said.
"If your dog has been vaccinated, it shouldn't be an issue," Holm said.
A dog that begins to show parvo symptoms should be taken to a vet for treatment and care, he said.
The virus most commonly attacks puppies whose immune system can't fight off the disease. Symptoms begin to appear within three to seven days of infection, Holm said.
Hagey said the virus lives on many surfaces and is very difficult to kill, but a bleach and water cleaning solution will work.
Contact Katie Williams at (515) 573-2141 or katie@messengernews.net