Hi,

I am so sorry about the loss of your kittens. It's such a sad story.

I think there is a good chance that the kittens did indeed have distemper. I know they were vaccinated, but at the tender age of 8 weeks, they only had one distemper vaccine. This cannot give much protection due to the immature immune system of such young babies. Kittens usually have at least 3 sets of distemper/upper respiratory vaccines, starting at about 8 weeks, and they get the vaccine every 3 weeks until they are around 14 weeks. As older kittens that have had the vaccine 3 times, they are able to build up protection from the distemper virus. A low white cell count is very characteristic of distemper. Even with treatment many kittens with the virus will not survive. Necropsies may or may have not been helpful.

I would not be surprised if the rescue place was not totally honest with you about the kittens not having been exposed to distemper. It could even have been from being exposed to an adult with the disease. An adult cat would not be likely to appear as ill as a small kitten would be. Most adult cats will survive distemper with the right treatment.

Take care, and once again, I am very sorry.

Regards,
AshleyElla

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