Hall County Animal Shelter suspends cat adoptions, limits intake after disease outbreak

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The Hall County Animal Shelter is suspending cat adoptions after a recent panleukopenia outbreak, according to shelter officials.

This means the facility will place a hold on all cat owner-surrenders, stray intakes and cat adoptions while quarantining cats.

Shelter officials said that panleukopenia is “a highly contagious viral disease found in cats and kittens that is caused by the feline parvovirus and is a common occurrence in open-admission animal welfare facilities due to the nature of facility operations.”

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“Our primary concern is the health and well-being of our feline population, and we are taking all the necessary steps to address the outbreak,” Hall County Animal Services Director Trey Garcia said. “Deep cleaning and sanitization have already taken place, and it is critical that we now quarantine all of our intakes and limit adoptions for a minimum of 14 days.”

Shelter officials said the quarantine will remain in place for 14 days and will be only accepting injured cats.

Dog adoptions are still open to the public, according to officials.

“Any person who has recently adopted a cat that is showing signs of illness should call the animal shelter,” Garcia said. “We will conduct a free test for the virus and offer outpatient care should the cat be positive for panleukopenia.”

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Common signs and symptoms of panleukopenia include depression, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting, dehydration, diarrhea and lethargy.

The Hall County Animal Shelter will continue to provide the community with alternative resources for found cats and kittens while intakes are limited.

Anyone willing to foster animals is encouraged to call the shelter at 678-450-1587 for more information.

For a list of adoptable dogs and cats at the shelter, click here.

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