Tularemia in Urbana

There was recently a report on the news about 3 cats that were diagnosed with Tularemia in Eastern Savoy. These cats were found in 2 separate households near each other. Although it is good to be diligent about monitoring serious diseases, I do not think that this is something to be overly worried about.

For a little background on the disease. The disease is caused by a bacteria named Francisella tularensis. The main animal that carries this disease is the domestic rabbit, but it can be spread to other animals including cats via tick and fly bites or through direct contact while hunting. As it is spread by rabbits, only cats who are outdoors and hunt are particularly at risk for the disease. It is a fairly uncommon disease to see Tularemia in cats, which is why having 3 cats come down with it in such a short period is a concern; however, it tends to have a higher presence in hot weather (so with this summer, I can see why we had a few more cases).

Symptoms to look for in cats include inappetence, fever, mouth ulcers, enlarged lymph nodes and lethargy. Again, if your cat is indoors only, you shouldn't worry too much about this. If Tularemia is suspected, there are ways to test for it including blood tests or culturing the oral ulcers. It can be a fairly aggressive disease and can be fatal, so early detection and treatment is needed.

Now, the reason that finding Tularemia in these cats is a concern is that it can also be spread to humans and can be fatal. Although there have been reports of cats transmitting it to people, the vast majority of the cases where humans contract the disease is due to transmission while a person is trapping rabbits or through tick bites. A few tips to prevent contracting the disease is to use insect repellent when camping, wearing gloves if handling dead animals (particularly rabbits), and avoid mowing over dead animals.

Again, I don't think Tularemia is something to be overly worried about, but I have received a few calls about the disease, so wanted to write a little about it.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to comment.