Pierre was just five weeks old when he arrived at Pasadena Humane in the spring of 2023. The young kitten appeared bright and healthy, and our team quickly placed him in a foster home so he could grow big enough for adoption.

But within days, Pierre stopped gaining weight. He lost several ounces, had trouble keeping food down, and showed signs of gastrointestinal distress.

Back at the shelter clinic, Pierre tested positive for feline panleukopenia—“panleuk” for short. It’s a highly contagious viral disease that affects unvaccinated cats and kittens. Without treatment, it’s nearly always fatal.

Many people would turn away when they hear the word panleukopenia. While it poses no risk to humans or other species, it’s often whispered like a death sentence, a scary, contagious, heartbreaking disease. And yes, it can be all of those things. But what we don’t talk about enough is this: panleuk kittens can survive.

Pierre was one of them.

After diagnosis, he was placed on an aggressive treatment plan while remaining in his foster home. There’s no cure for panleuk; care is supportive —f luids, medications to manage symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, and round-the-clock monitoring to help the kitten’s immune system fight back.

Just a few days later, Pierre turned the corner. His appetite returned. He started playing again. He tested negative for panleuk, and just 10 days after his diagnosis, he was adopted into a loving home.

Stories like Pierre’s are becoming more common at Pasadena Humane because of a big commitment we made a few years ago: to treat kittens with panleuk. Pierre was one of the first to be treated successfully in a foster home.

This marked a major shift from when I started at Pasadena Humane in 2018 as the manager of our kitten nursery. At that time, treating panleuk in a shelter setting like ours felt out of reach. It requires substantial time, veterinary expertise, and significant resources—not to mention a dedicated isolation space and strict quarantine protocols to keep the virus from spreading.’

Today, we’re one of very few shelters nationwide with a dedicated program for treating panleuk. And we’re seeing real results.

Since 2022, we’ve cared for nearly 250 kittens diagnosed with panleuk. More than 80% of them have survived—an outcome that stands in stark contrast to national studies showing mortality rates between 50% and 90%, even with treatment.

This progress wouldn’t be possible without our foster volunteers—people like Pierre’s caregiver, who stepped up and didn’t back down when things got tough. Fosters play a critical role—providing safe, quiet, and loving environments where sick kittens can recover.

Foster homes are also critical for kittens who’ve been exposed to panleuk but haven’t tested positive. These cats need to quarantine for 14 days to make sure they don’t develop the disease. Without foster homes, they’d be taking up kennels in our panleuk ward during the busiest time of year—space needed for kittens who are ill.

As with all other animals in foster, we supply everything these kittens will need during their time away from the shelter, including veterinary care. The ideal foster home has no other pets and includes an easy-to-disinfect area, like a guest bathroom.

This weekend, we’re hosting our first-ever workshop for people interested in fostering kittens with panleuk. We’re inviting the community to join what we’re calling our Panleuk Virus Vanquishers.

At the workshop, you’ll learn how to use PPE, administer medication, and monitor for symptoms. Most of all, you’ll see that fostering panleuk kittens is hard work—but it’s doable. And it makes a real difference for kittens like Pierre.If you’re ready to help, visit pasadenahumane.org/foster.

Chris Ramon is interim chief executive officer at Pasadena Humane. hello@pasadenahumane.org.