SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota: A recent string of cat deaths in a quiet little neighborhood is making police and residents nervous.
In just ten days, five cats have been found dead at the Cactus Hills Mobile Home Park in Sioux Falls, according to news website KeloLand.com.
Local animal control authorities soon found that the dead cats tested positive for Tularemia, a bacterial infection spread by
ticks, similar to Lyme Disease. Tularemia, also known as "rabbit fever", is typically seen (not surprisingly) in wild rabbits - but also in squirrels, hares and other rodents.
And while uncommon among pets, it has truly devastating consequences for cats. "By the time your cat is sick with it, he's probably dying from it," Sioux Falls Dale Animal Hospital's Dr. Dawn Dale told Argusleader.com.
Cats which have contracted the disease may look like they have rabies, but may also display sores on the skin, fever and signs of pneumonia.
According to MSNBC affiliate KDLT-TV, police believe the strays are picking up the disease in areas where the grass has grown high and tree cover is thick - perfect places for wood ticks and other insects to thrive.
The Cactus Hills neighborhood has had a long-standing problem with stray cats. Bob Rabine, a resident, says he used traps to catch the stray cats in his yard. In an interview with Argusleader.com, he says that "they were a nuisance and our dog hated them."
A large number of feral cats roam the wooded area near Cactus Hills, posing a large risk of a potential outbreak of tularemia.
So to warn others in the neighborhood, Sioux Falls Police and Animal Control officers went door-to-door dropping off pamphlets about the disease in the mobile home park, according to KSFY.com.
Tips for avoiding this cat disease:
- When you enter wooded or grassy areas, wear an insect repellant, long sleeves and pants
- Keep your cat and children indoors, or at least out of tick-infested areas
- Regularly check your pet for ticks and fleas; use medication if necessary
- If you must handle a dead animal, wear rubber gloves, double-bag the carcass and contact Animal Control
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While Tularemia can be transmitted to humans, Judy Buseman, public health director of Sioux Falls, says that the disease is not a major threat to public health.
"This is a naturally occurring disease in North America. It shows up in all the states," she said in an interview with ArgusLeader.com. "This is not a public health emergency."
Tularemia triggers flu-like symptoms in humans, and is contracted by touching infected animals or through ticks. Animal control officials recommended that people should wear rubber gloves when handling a dead animal, double-bag it for disposal and wear tick repellent.
Last year there were six human cases of the disease in South Dakota. Dogs can also catch the disease, but much less rarely than cats.
So dogs can catch them too? I wish the article also says what kind of symptoms show up on dogs- just a little worried is all...
Oooh.. this is scary! Can this be trated? how do you know if you kitty has this kind of disease? guess we should just take extra care. we should stop our little furballs from roaming around in grassy areas.
I think this just highlights the importance of keeping your cat tick-free and flea-free. of course we'd like to think of our pets as real clean animals, but the truth is, we can't really tell for sure. Make sure you get your cat checked out by the vet regularly. Keep them away from other streetcats. Or even better, keep them indoors.
This is terrible! my kitties love going around! It's really hard to keep them off certain places. As much as possible, I keep the house clean, the garden too is free from insects and such. But then it's too hard to keep the stray cats off my lawn, especially at night! My kitties have always been free from ticks and fleas, but I guess now you can never be too sure. Can tick and flea medication work to ward off this disease?
i suggest you try to keep your cats accustomed to staying indoors. i think it's safer that way- and you don't have to worry as much about your cats.
I have cats and they love to roam in the garden. it's extremely hard to keep those stray cats at bay. tho my cats are clean, i still take extra precaution in flea care. I am an advocate of Frontline Plus for cats. Been looking for the best Frontline deal around. This site offers the cheapest, i'm surprised! thanks petshed!
Is there a vaccine against it? i'm just worried that my cat might get infected since i let her out in the yard to do her thing everyday.
whatever happened to this disease? has it been contained? i was looking for follow-up stories on it but i didn't see any. i really hope there is already a cure for this.
Our family dog was recently hunting it South Dakota. He had a tick that looks like the image above, on his head. We pulled it out with tweezers, should we be concerned? And if so, what should we do??
Need to know
Asap.
Thanks
Lisa
Lisa, if you have any doubts or worries about your dog's health, the best thing is to get your pet to the vet asap. Yes, you should always be concerned, but it's impossible for anyone to diagnose this sort of thing online.