Salina ? Between 15 and 25 cats were euthanized at the Salina Animal Shelter after an outbreak of distemper.

Shelter coordinator Rose Base says three cats died at the shelter about two weeks ago and Kansas State University confirmed they died of distemper.

The other cats at the shelter were euthanized by injection and cremated after showing signs of the virus. Distemper is a virus that causes nausea, vomiting and extreme depression in cats. Many cats die within two days and only about 5 percent survive the infection.

The Salina Journal reported that as of Monday, the only cat at the shelter was an 8-month-old kitten.

It’s not clear what caused the outbreak.

Myers says the shelter will no longer accept cats who have not been vaccinated for distemper.