Is cat parvo on the rise?

There's been talk where we live in the north of England of an upsurge of cases of a virus disease in cats called parvo. I thought this was a dog disease. Is this anything to worry about? Our two five-year-old cats were fully vaccinated as kittens but not since.

- DR DAVID GRANT

Three national animal charities, the Blue Cross, Cats Protection and the RSPCA have just recently advised vets that they have seen an increase in feline panleukopenia cases across the Midlands and north of England.

Panleukopenia means low white cell blood count, which is a characteristic of the virus. With inadequate white cells, the immune system cannot fight infections.