Keeping Your Cats Inside and Safe!

From - http://outbreaknewstoday.com/albuquerque-stray-cat-dies-plague-28389/

Albuquerque: Stray cat dies from plague

April 11, 2017

The City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, the New Mexico Department of Health and the Bernalillo County Health Protection Section announced today that a stray cat found in North Albuquerque Acres was confirmed to have died of plague.  A recent case of plague in a dog in the same vicinity could indicate re-emergence of plague in a part of the city where it was no longer thought to be found.

Image/CDC

“Our ongoing surveillance has not detected plague in North Albuquerque Acres since the late 1990s,” said Dr. Mark DiMenna, Deputy Director at the City’s Environmental Health Department.  “We are asking residents in the area to report any pets, wildlife or feral cats that appear to be sick or to have died without obvious physical trauma to 311.”
Cats are particularly susceptible to plague, and plague can readily be spread among cats in feral colonies.  Health authorities advise those working with free-roaming cats to be aware of symptoms of plague in both humans and cats, and to report sick cats that may be displaying those symptoms.
Symptoms of plague in cats can include swollen lymph nodes, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, as well as presence of abscesses, discharge or bloody sputum.
Most people contract plague from the bite of an infected flea, or through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected animal.  Symptoms in humans typically appear 1-8 days after exposure, and may begin with painful, swollen lymph nodes or sudden fever and can progress to severe headaches, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, eventually leading to shock and internal bleeding.  Left untreated, or if not diagnosed promptly, plague can be fatal in humans.
Plague is a bacterial infection.  The causative agent is common in many parts of New Mexico, including the Sandia Foothills and eastern Bernalillo County.