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!