Dead Colorado cat tests positive for the plague -- just weeks after Arizona resident dies of troubling disease

A domestic cat died of the bubonic plague in Colorado just weeks after a man in Arizona died of the same troubling disease, according to authorities.

The cat, from Evergreen, was diagnosed with the plague and did not survive, Jefferson County Public Health officials said in an announcement Wednesday.

It is the first confirmed case of the illness caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria in an animal in the county since 2023, officials said.

A domestic cat died of the bubonic plague in Colorado just weeks after a man in Arizona died of the same troubling disease. AP

The announcement of the new case comes as an Arizona resident died of the plague just last month, while officials warned that a prairie dog die-off in the region could signal an outbreak of the lethal illness.

The person died