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My puppy has parvo. Are my unvaccinated cats at risk of panleukopenia?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male

A littermate for a puppy I brought home tested positive for parvo, my puppy is now starting to vomit. I have 5 indoor cats that are all over 1 year old but aren't UTD on their vaccines (My 3 adult dogs are). How likely is it they could get panluekopenia from this puppy? Should I have them vaccinated Monday?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 20th, 2018

Unvaccinated cats can get parvo from dogs, but only under very extreme circumstances. If your cats have been previously vaccinated, even though it isn't up to date, they should be fine. I would recommend getting their vaccines updated, but the biggest concern is your puppy. Parvo is highly contagious between dogs, and if your puppy's littermate has it and now your puppy is vomiting, I would be concerned your puppy has parvo as well. You need to take your puppy into a vet immediately. As for the cats, make an appointment to have their vaccines updated. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

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