My cat ate a wild rabbit. Are diseases or parasites a risk for kids?

Question

My indoor cat ate a wild rabbit. What should i do? I heard rabbits have parasites and diseases? I’m not sure if I should let her in because I have 2 year old twins and I don’t want them to catch anything. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

There are a few diseases that a wild rabbit can carry, but fortunately they are not commonly ones that would affect people, or be easily transmitted from the cat to people. There are a few different parasites that they can get from rabbits, so it will be a good idea to have her dewormed sometime soon to prevent the worms from growing. Your vet can recommend the best dewormer to prevent the worms of concern with rabbits (roundworms and tapeworms are the more common ones). As long as Sunday is not showing any signs of illness, the chances of her transmitting a disease like tularemia (https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/) is not likely. If she happens to appear ill (vomiting, decrease in activity, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, breathing heavily, etc.), then it would be best to keep her away from your children and have a vet evaluate her as soon as possible. It would be rare for her to have acquired a disease that she can transmit to you or your children, but you can always take some precautions just to be sure. You can keep her separate (contact is really the only concern) from the children for 7-10 days to be extra safe. If she does not have any signs of illness during this time, then it's very unlikely she will have a disease that can be transmitted. I hope that helps and all is well.

My cat ate a wild rabbit. Are diseases or parasites a risk for kids?

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