Smoky,

I have indeed experienced this. While living in Connecticut, I was rescued 2 mamas and 2 litters of kittens. One of my fellow rescuers took one mama and litter while I took the other.

Well, within 2 weeks, all the kittens I took died from distemper. One day they were fine, the next day they were lethargic, labored breathing, not eating and diarrhea. My friend who had the other litter put an orphaned kitten in with the other kittens, unaware that the orphaned kitten had distemper. All the kittens died.

Distemper is a very difficult disease that is fatal to kittens. The mothers were fine because their immune systems were in full force. I had to stop fostering for one whole year and close up my spare bedroom because distemper can stay airborne for up to 1 year.