Research overview: clinical plague disease and mortality in felids

Felids are relatively susceptible to Yersinia pestis, and infection can progress to acute, severe and sometimes fatal disease, distinguishing cats from more resistant carnivores. This overview surveys the clinical course of plague in domestic and wild cats, including the bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic forms, the rapid progression to death in some cases, and the public-health concern posed by infected cats shedding bacteria. It examines the routes of exposure through flea bites and ingestion of infected prey, the diagnosis and treatment in domestic cats, and the implications for wild felids like mountain lions. The synthesis connects clinical disease to the broader plague ecology that exposes cats. It aims to help readers understand why felids are notable plague hosts, susceptible to serious disease and capable, particularly in the pneumonic form, of transmitting the bacterium to people.