METHUEN - An outbreak of feline distemper infection has hit cats at Nevins Farm for the second year in a row, forcing staff there to euthanize eight cats and quarantine 50 others.

The quarantine is expected to end tomorrow, said Mike Keiley, director at the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at Nevins Farm.

Distemper is an infectious virus that spreads easily in unvaccinated cats. Although it is "very preventable," cats who contract the infection have a low chance of surviving, Keiley said. Kittens are more susceptible to the infection.

Symptoms include vomiting and extreme pain. Kittens infected with the virus can die before symptoms even become apparent. The virus can exist outside of cats for as long as a year.

Nevins Farm was victim to a similar outbreak in October of last year. The adoption facility sees an influx of stray cats and kittens brought in as cold weather approaches, increasing the likelihood of an outbreak, Keiley said.

"It just takes a matter of one cat coming into an environment to cause an outbreak, and that's what happened to us," he said.

Staff at the facility learned of the outbreak when the first cat fell ill in mid-November. A quarantine room was set up to separate possibly ill cats from ones with a proper vaccination history. Staff also discouraged people from donating cats to the shelter, though they still accepted cats as a last resort. Shelters in Salem, Mass., Salem, N.H., and Lowell took healthy cats from the farm to protect them from the outbreak.

Keiley expects the quarantine to end tomorrow and is hoping people will want to adopt the 50 cats who are declared healthy.

"It's right at the time of the holidays, and we'd certainly love to see them home now that they've gone through this successfully," he said.

Cat owners can prevent the virus from spreading through a diligent vaccination schedule. Kittens are usually given a series of shots at an early age, protecting them from distemper. Those shots are followed by annual vaccinations. Some veterinarians believe that cats reach a point where they only need a vaccination from distemper every three years. Keiley said owners should consult their veterinarians to determine what is best for their cats.

Anyone wanting to adopt a cat from Nevins Farm can call the facility at 978-687-7453.