MANASSAS, Va. (AP) _ Animal control officers say that nearly three-quarters of the cats at the Prince William’s County Animal Shelter have had to be euthanized recently after contracting a respiratory virus.

The Washington Post reports that 73 cats were euthanized on Monday and Tuesday because they all had feline calicivirus.

The county police department’s animal control director, Capt. Alfred Miller, says 36 cats who have not yet shown signs of illness remain alive. The shelter has stopped taking in or giving away any cats for at least the next two weeks.

The shelter said in a statement that the virus causes sneezing, discharge from the nose and eyes, painful mouth sores, arthritis and other symptoms in cats. It does not pose a health risk to humans.
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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com