Dead Colorado cat tests positive for the plague — just weeks after Arizona resident dies of troubling disease

A domestic cat died of the bubonic plague in Colorado just weeks after a man in Arizona died of the same troubling disease, according to authorities.

The cat, from Evergreen, was diagnosed with the plague and did not survive, Jefferson County Public Health officials said in an announcement Wednesday.

It is the first confirmed case of the illness caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria in an animal in the county since 2023, officials said.

The announcement of the new case comes as an Arizona resident died of the plague just last month, while officials warned that a prairie dog die-off in the region could signal an outbreak of the lethal illness.

The person died at Flagstaff Medical Center the same day they arrived, exhibiting serious symptoms, Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement at the time.

People and pets can get the plague after being bitten by infected fleas or after direct contact with infected animals, authorities said.

Although human cases of the plague are rare, the disease can be life-threatening without proper treatment, according to health officials.

Symptoms in humans include sudden high fever, chills, headache, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes.

Pets similarly will suffer from fever, low energy, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes, Jefferson County health officials said.

If the disease is caught earlier, it can be treated with antibiotics, officials added.

Officials urged people to stay away from any dead, sick, or wild animals and not to let pets roam freely outside to reduce the risk of contracting the disease.

“It’s not uncommon to see a few animal cases of plague in the warmer months in Colorado,” Jim Rada, Jefferson County Environmental Health Director, said in a statement.

“Like with this case, sometimes our local veterinarians are the first to see plague when our pets get sick. In many ways, they are a first line of defense both in helping keep our pets safe from fleas that could make our pets sick and in treating them if they are exposed to plague,” he said.