Yes, cats and dogs can get tularemia, also called rabbit fever. Cats are the pet most at risk, mainly because hunting brings them into contact with infected wildlife. Dogs are relatively resistant, but infection is still possible. Tularemia is not a routine explanation for a sick pet, and most ill animals do not have it. If your pet is unwell after a tick bite, a hunt, or contact with a dead rabbit or rodent, contact your veterinarian promptly and phone the clinic before you arrive so staff can take precautions.
What tularemia is
Tularemia is an infection caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes it as a potentially serious illness that affects both animals and people. In the wild, it circulates mostly among rabbits, hares, and rodents, which are particularly susceptible and can die in outbreaks. Many other wild and domestic species can also be infected. Merck’s veterinary reference, in its overview of tularemia in animals, identifies sheep as the domestic animal most commonly affected overall, while also documenting infections in cats and dogs.
Can cats and dogs get rabbit fever?
Cats
Cats are more vulnerable than many domestic animals, and the main reason is predatory behavior. Merck’s cat owner guidance on tularemia explains that hunting and eating wild prey raise the risk. A cat that has caught an infected rabbit, hare, or rodent can become sick, and cats are the pet species most often linked to tularemia in the U.S. (see the Minnesota figures below).
Dogs
Dogs are described as relatively resistant, so infection is uncommon. Merck’s dog owner guidance on rabbit fever notes that infection is rare but not impossible. A dog that hunts, scavenges carcasses, or is heavily tick-exposed in an area where tularemia occurs should still be evaluated if it becomes ill.
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What a pet rabbit means for your household
Keeping a domestic rabbit indoors does not by itself make a household exposed. The realistic concerns are wild animals, ticks, and carcasses that pets bring into the home or that people handle outdoors.
How pets become infected
CDC lists several routes of transmission in its explanation of how tularemia spreads. For pets, the most relevant are:
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- Tick and deer fly bites. Infected biting arthropods can transmit the bacterium.
- Contact with infected animal tissue. Handling or skinning an infected animal, or having contact with its blood or organs, is a route of infection.
- Eating infected prey or carcasses. This is the main pathway for hunting cats.
- Contaminated water. Drinking untreated surface water in areas where infected animals live is a recognized risk.
- Contaminated dust or aerosols. Inhalation is recognized in public-health guidance, though it is less typical for pets than the routes above.
Can my cat give me tularemia?
CDC states that domestic cats are very susceptible to tularemia and have transmitted it to people. Human infection from a cat is uncommon. Merck reports rare cases in which a person was infected by a cat bite after the cat had recently fed on infected prey. The risk is low for most households, but it is real in specific situations, such as a cat that hunts and then bites or scratches someone.
Person-to-person spread is not established. CDC’s transmission page states: “Transmission of tularemia from person to person has not been reported.”
If a person has a significant bite or scratch from a pet that may have eaten infected prey, or has had direct contact with suspected infected tissue, and then becomes ill, they should contact a health-care provider and mention the animal exposure. Do not self-treat or take leftover medication.
Signs of tularemia in pets
Possible signs include:
- Sudden high fever
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Lethargy and reduced activity
- Poor appetite
- A heavy tick burden, or recent tick bites
- Stiffness or reduced movement
- Faster heart or breathing rate, or coughing
- Diarrhea or frequent urination
- In cats, sores in the mouth or throat
Some infected animals show few signs, while severe illness can progress quickly. These signs overlap with many other conditions, so they cannot confirm tularemia. Only a veterinary examination and laboratory testing can diagnose it. Testing methods named in veterinary and public-health guidance include culture, serology, and PCR.
What to do if your pet may have been exposed
Use this sequence if your pet has possible wildlife or tick exposure and is unwell, or if it has caught or eaten a rabbit, hare, rodent, or other wild animal:
- Write down the details. Note when the exposure happened, what the animal caught or ate, whether you found a tick, and where any carcass was.
- Keep your pet away from the carcass and avoid bare-handed contact. Do not try to examine or clean up tissue or fluids yourself.
- Phone your veterinarian before arriving. Describe the symptoms, hunting history, tick exposure, and any contact with carcasses. Ask what precautions to take when you come in, since tularemia can pose an exposure concern for clinic staff.
- Follow the veterinarian’s testing and treatment plan. Early antibiotic treatment can be effective, but the drug, dose, and duration are veterinary decisions. Do not give leftover antibiotics or human medicines.
- Ask how to dispose of any carcass. Your veterinarian or local public-health authority can explain safe handling and disposal for that situation.
- Watch people in the household. If someone has a significant bite or scratch from the pet, or direct contact with suspected infected tissue, and then becomes ill, contact a health-care provider and mention the animal exposure.
Handling sick or dead wild animals
CDC’s prevention guidance covers the main household precautions:
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- Avoid touching sick or dead wild animals with bare hands.
- If handling cannot be avoided, wear gloves and follow local guidance for disposal.
- Do not mow over sick or dead animals.
- Avoid drinking untreated surface water in relevant outdoor settings.
Reducing your pet’s risk
Tick control and removal
Check pets after outdoor activity, especially in tall grass and wooded areas. CDC advises that attached ticks should be removed promptly. A tick remover can help with that task, but it is only a removal aid. It is not a treatment for tularemia and does not prevent infection on its own. Ask your veterinarian which flea and tick preventive suits your pet and region. Do not use a product labeled for a different species unless a veterinarian specifically directs it.
Limiting hunting and wildlife contact
Keeping cats indoors is the most direct way to limit exposure to wild prey. If your cat goes outside, limit unsupervised hunting and contact with rabbits, rodents, and other wildlife. Veterinary guidance treats this as the central step for cats.
How common is tularemia?
CDC estimates about 200 to 300 human tularemia cases occur in the United States each year (CDC, 2025). That figure concerns people, not pets. CDC also reports that naturally occurring U.S. infections have been recorded in every state except Hawaii, as of its tularemia overview updated August 27, 2026.
A 2024 CDC report from Minnesota shows how animal cases can rise. In that state, human cases in 2024 exceeded the 2000–2023 median of one to five, and animal cases rose from a median of two to 27. CDC said increased veterinary awareness may have contributed to the animal-case count as well as a true increase. The breakdown of the 27 Minnesota animal cases is below.
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| Animal type (Minnesota, 2024) | Reported cases |
|---|---|
| Domestic cats | 21 |
| Domestic dogs | 5 |
| Wild rabbit | 1 |
| Total animal cases | 27 |
This is a single-state report from one year. It is not a national estimate of pet risk. Read it as evidence that cats are the pets most often involved in reported cases in that outbreak period, and that veterinarians there were alert to the disease. It does not tell you how likely any individual cat is to be infected. The full CDC report is available as an MMWR notes from the field (April 17, 2025).
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