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The German Plague Commission reported upon the effects of cutaneous and subcutaneous inoculation of these animals. Beyond a slight febrile reaction no- thing definite was obtained. All the cats experimented upon recovered. They concluded that cats were relatively insusceptible to plague.
The results of ALBRECHT and GHON were more encouraging. They fed cats on plague infected material. Several of the animals died as the result of plague infection. The type of the disease reproduced was septicæmic. A bubo was frequently found present in the sub maxillary region.
KOLLE also had positive results. He fed cats with cultures of plague.
WILM noted in his Report that two cats eat pieces of a plague bubo. They becaine ill for several days. Great emaciation of the animals was noted. The animals recovered..
From the researches on plague infection in cats, it is evident that infection per os gives the most constant results. By this method, cats would appear to contract the disease. The question of a lethal termination probably depends upon the virulence of the infecting material used for purposes of inducing the infection. During the past two years, I have had the opportunity of examining from time to time a number of cats, dead or alive, for the presence of plague infections.
In my Report for 1902, a note was made in regard to a spontaneous infection of the cats belonging to one of the Godown Companies in Kowloon.
The history of the epizootic is the following:-During the systematic collection of rats, dead and alive, in Kowloon, for bacteriological examination many of those caught in the godowns were found plague infected.
A week or
two after rat plague had been found, the servants of the Godown Company reported the death of several of their cats which were kept on the rat infected premises. Suspicious as to the course of death of these cats being plague, orders were given to have them examined at the Public Mortuary.
The diagnosis of plague was established immediately on bacteriological examination.
The cat mortality continued and even increased. All cats, sicks or dead, were forwarded to me. The sick cats were kept under observation in isolation.
One or two experiments were made in regard to the modes of infection in cats, and the symptoms of the disease noted as carefully as possible.
My investigations showed that plague may be either acute or chronic in cats.
Cutaneous aud subcutaneous inoculation do not give constant results. Feeding cats with plague infected material gives certain results.
The cats from the Godown Company obviously contracted the plague infection per os.
The plague infection of the rats in the godowns was severe, and the cats had most probably fed sumptuously on infected rat flesh.
The Symptoms of Acute Cat Plague.-Symptoms of plague are usually present within twenty-four hours. Food is refused. Diarrhoea and vomiting are amongst the earliest symptoms. Their hair becomes ruffled. Weight is rapidly lost, and emaciation is a marked feature. The abdomen is distended and tender to touch. Great weakness or even paralysis of the extremities is present. Death takes place in from 2 to 6 days.
An interesting observation is that healthy rats fed on paddy soaked in the fæces or urine of plague infected cats, die of acute rat plague.
The Post-mortem Appearance of Cat Plague.--All the tissues and organs are in a condition of extreme congestion. Hæmorrhages of varying size are scattered irregularly throughout the tissues of the animal. The lymphatic glands are congested with the presence of cortical hæmorrhages. Bubonic swellings are frequently found, especially about the neck and the mesentery.