Cat plague, or what is known as the Black Death or the Black Epidemic, is a dangerous and deadly bacterial disease that affects humans, mammals and cats. This disease is transmitted by fleas carrying infections and viruses that live on rodents. This disease is one of the most dangerous diseases that threaten the lives of cats if it is not treated quickly. It is a widespread, contagious and deadly disease, and it may infect humans and cause their death if it is not treated quickly and correctly.
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What is cat plague?
Cat plague is a rare and deadly bacterial disease that can affect all living organisms, including humans. This disease may be transmitted to cats by fleas carrying bacterial diseases. Cat plague killed many people in the Middle Ages, and it was classified as a rapidly spreading global epidemic. The best medications for treating cat plague are doses of antibiotics that are taken under the supervision of a doctor.
Causes of the spread of cat plague
There are some common causes that lead to the spread of cat plague, and these causes are as follows:
- Cats get the plague as a result of being bitten by an infected flea from rodents.
- Wandering from places where cat plague infections occur.
- Contact with animals and cats infected with the plague.
Cat plague symptoms and how to identify it?
There are some symptoms that can appear suddenly, and indicate infection with cat plague, so we can mention those symptoms to identify them, as these symptoms are as follows:
Symptoms of bubonic plague: Fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, and swollen lymph nodes, especially under the lower jaw of the cat, because bubonic plague bacteria enter through the cat’s mouth after being bitten by infected fleas.
Symptoms of pneumonic plague: Coughing and abnormal lung sounds, as pneumonic plague affects the lungs and respiratory tract of cats.
Symptoms of septic plague: vomiting, diarrhea, shock, difficulty breathing and increased heart rate, because this plague spreads in the bloodstream, and affects all the internal organs of the cat, including the liver and heart.
Methods of diagnosing and treating cat plague
Cat plague can be diagnosed accurately with the help of a veterinarian, because humans do not have enough experience to detect this dangerous disease. The methods of diagnosis and treatment are as follows:
Diagnosis
- The veterinarian collects all the detailed information about the cat that is raised at home to find out whether it has been infected with the disease or not?
- He collects information about its movements, activity, food, voice, exposure to fleas and the symptoms it suffers from.
- The cat is examined and checked for fever, swollen lymph nodes or difficulty breathing
- The doctor recommends a complete blood test and urine analysis to evaluate and diagnose plague.
- In the event that the cat is infected with the serious disease, the doctor can examine a sample of the cat’s blood under a microscope, or a sample of saliva, where bacteria and viral infections appear clearly under the microscope, and the cat’s health condition is diagnosed as a case of cat plague.
Cat plague treatment
- After confirming the diagnosis, examinations, blood analysis, saliva analysis, urine analysis and feces of the cat, and it is proven that the cat is infected with the plague, the cat is placed under medical observation to receive the appropriate treatment and vaccinations. The earlier treatment begins, the faster the cat recovers.
- Antibiotics are the only scientifically proven way to combat the serious cat plague.
- At first, the veterinarian gives treatments by injecting the cat with them, but after 3 days of monitoring and observation in the veterinary clinic, the doctor may find an immediate response from the cat, so the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to be taken orally, and the cat is sent home to receive full care. After 72 hours of taking the antibiotic, pneumonic plague will no longer be contagious to humans.
- If the cat does not respond immediately to the antibiotic, its survival is temporary, due to the spread of the viral infection throughout its body.
- Antibiotics are the effective treatment for cat plague, so the doctor prescribes streptomycin because it is an antibiotic for cats and humans, and may prescribe gentamicin if the cat plague infection is still early and the cat does not suffer from any other complications, and the doctor may prescribe doxycycline.
- Chloramphenicol and tetracycline can also be prescribed as effective antibiotics to fight cat plague.
How to protect cats from the disease
Cat plague is one of the most dangerous diseases that threatened humans in the Middle Ages and millions of people died from it, so we can learn the best steps to protect cats from the disease, and these steps are as follows:
- Domestic cats should be examined periodically to protect them from fleas and ticks.
- Keep the cat at home as much as possible, because infected fleas are very small and cannot be seen, and can stick to the cat’s fur and infect them with the serious disease if it lives in an area with cat plague.
- Stay away from places where rodents live as much as possible to protect the cat from cat plague.
- Receive serums and vaccinations prescribed by the veterinarian for the cat so that it does not contract diseases and epidemics.
The importance of vaccination for cat plague
We can mention the importance of vaccination against cat plague to prevent infection with this deadly disease, as the importance of vaccination is as follows:
A person must take an immediate vaccination when he suspects that he has cat plague, because the disease can be transmitted to humans quickly in the event of exposure to an infected animal or a flea bite infected with cat plague.
The most important symptoms of cat plague for humans (fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes and severe muscle pain).
Conclusion
Cat plague is a dangerous and widespread disease among cats, as dealing with this disease requires full medical awareness and immediate measures before it spreads in the cat’s body or those around it, whether humans or animals, and this disease must be prevented through periodic vaccinations and cleanliness Daily, and domestic cats must be constantly monitored and avoided from being exposed to fleas or infected wild animals. The veterinarian must be visited every two months to ensure the safety of domestic cats and receive the necessary medical care if the cat is suspected of having any disease.
