Research overview: wild felids as sentinels for plague activity in the American West

Because cats are relatively susceptible to plague and range widely, wild and domestic felids serve as useful sentinels for detecting Yersinia pestis circulation. This overview surveys how serosurveys of mountain lions, bobcats and domestic cats are used to map plague activity, sometimes flagging risk to humans and other wildlife. It examines the comparative sensitivity of felid surveillance, the link between cat cases and rodent epizootics, and the One Health value of monitoring predators that sample many prey across the landscape. The synthesis connects wildlife disease surveillance to public health early warning. It aims to help readers see felids not only as victims of plague but as informative monitors whose exposure patterns reveal where and when this persistent bacterial disease is active in western ecosystems.