BREAKING: House Cat Tests Positive For Plague In US

Written by: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| Published on June 15, 2017

In Colorado, a cat fell ill and turned out to have plague, according to a story by Fox 31.

The good news is that the kitty is on antibiotics and is expected to make a full recovery. And while its human doesn’t appear to have the illness, they are also on preventative antibiotics.

Thanks to modern medicine, plague is easily cured as long as it’s identified and treated. It’s also pretty rare in today’s world.

However, rabbits and rodents in Colorado have been known to carry the disease, and can pass it on to pets. Plague is also transmitted through fleas, and humans and their companions are encouraged to use repellant when spending time outside. (Make sure to give your pets flea preventative that’s safe for them by consulting with your vet.)

In the story, Fox 31 outlines what to look out for:

Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, weakness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A person might also get swollen, painful lymph nodes near the flea bite.

 

(h/t: Fox 31.)