Cat and Squirrel Coexistence--Questions about Pasteurella

[ashmmc]

Hello!
We found an abandoned baby squirrel (around 4 weeks old) and are currently rehabbing it. We have experience as rehabbers, but this is our first squirrel (we're very excited about it!), and we're concerned about the risk of pasteurella transmission from our cat to the squirrel.

If you could tell us anything about pasteurella, we would greatly appreciate it!! The info on the web is somewhat scattered and contradictory. We've read of rehabbers and families whose cats actually nurse and care for squirrels--how does this not get the squirrels sick? Some sources say there has to be a bite, while others say that transmission is possible just through saliva (from cleaning, etc) or even just breathing the same air.

(Among the things we'd love to know: how likely it is that our cat has it, how we'd know if the squirrel is ill without a bite wound, how likely transmission is, if there's a way to prevent transmission aside from completely keeping them separate, etc.)

Thank you for any help you can provide!

[farm mom]

It's a cardinal rule with squirrels to keep them separate from cats, because their bite is so toxic to them. Cats milk isn't appropriate for them either so don't believe everything you see on the internet…lol Espilac powdered puppy formula is the food for them up until they refuse it. Add rodent block and Henry's healthy blocks which can be found on line. If you look through the forum you'll find all the info you'll need to raise this baby. Thanks for helping him.

[Spanky]

The proper thing to do is keep the squirrel completely isolated and separated from any cats. A squirrel "co-existing" with a cat(s) will result it the squirrel loosing it's natural fear of cats. Loosing a fear of cats and failing to recognize a cat as a deadly predator would be fatal for a squirrel being released into the wild.

If you are considering keeping a healthy squirrel as a "pet" I strongly recommend you read the information available on TSB as to what exactly this means. The bottom line is that healthy squirrels do not make good pets except in very rare cases and humans could never provide the environment squirrels in which are meant to live. So even if you are considering a "pet" squirrel, the squirrel may have other ideas about being held captive and "demand" that they be free. I strongly recommend keeping separate from the cat so as not to loose this natural, and necessary for survival fear of cats.

Pasteurella is deadly to squirrels and we will treat squirrels with AB that are received with even the suggestion the squirrel was in contact with a cat. We see many that were brought to the finders by their cat but "have not bites or scratches" as the wounds will often seal up quickly. But after a day or two we can clear see the swelling, bruising and / or puncture wound. A bite is probably the surest transmission route and with cat bites we often can not even see evidence of a bite for several days. It's surprising how impossible they are to spot initially, I know first hand since I (and my vet as well) have missed spotting these wounds on intake.

Thanks for helping this little one and to TSB!!

[island rehabber]

Agreeing with farm mom, above: it's just too risky to have cats and squirrels interacting because of the fact that cats (as Steve Martin once said, hilariously) aren't really clean -- they're just covered with cat spit. Seriously that means that even when the squirrel touches the cat's fur there is a risk. I rehab 20-30 squirrels per year, have one non-releasable squirrel, and have two cats but they do not interact, ever.

[Cesta]

IR, how do you keep your cat and squirrels so separate? This is one issue I've continuously struggled with while rehabbing squirrels. To keep the animals completely separate is just impossible at my home. I do keep bin babies in my room strictly separate from our 3 dogs and 3 cats, but their first cage is built to fit in a window in our family room, where I can keep an eye on them and they can be a part of the family. I cover it on top with a blanket, and it's well out of reach of the dogs who receive a firm 'no' for any interest they show in the squirrels. But cats... Mine like to sleep on top of the window cage. They are separated by the blanket, and if they show interest they get an immediate squirt from a water bottle.
The bigger problem is when they are ready to move to the bigger cage on our covered lanai. The bottom level is closer to the ground, and while almost all the squirrels are wary of our pets, they are also keenly interested in everything they do. The animals have to pass the lanai cage to get to our backyard. (This cage is a big, homemade double level cage we use as a way to get them used to the outdoors while they still have full cover from the weather and a lot of interaction with the family.)
Finally, we have a large release cage in our backyard, under a big oak, and just outside their familiar lanai. When they are first released from that cage into the yard, I always encourage them to go UP. I also keep the dogs and cats far away for the first week or so, hoping the squirrels will be wilding up during that time and becoming more suspicious of the house pets. I run a kiddie sprinkler with wiggly arms around the cage, which keeps the cats away. I stand outside with the hose and spray any cat/dog that gets too close to the cage, and have been known to occasionally squirt a squirrel that's not paying attention to his/her surroundings.
I've never had an incident YET but I always worry. I feel I'm doing more good than harm by rescuing the orphaned squirrels, as there aren't nearly enough rehabbers in our area.
As for neighborhood dogs and cats, there really aren't many. We have a large yard and none of our neighbors have outside cats and I've only seen one stray. Everyone walks their dogs on leash and most are kept indoors the majority of the time. Hawks are a much bigger concern of mine.
Opinions? Ideas?
Sorry for the long post, I'm not good at keeping it short!