 The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is renewing a call for residents to have their companion animals vaccinated after a sharp increase in the number of reported raccoons infected with distemper. This disease has a high mortality rate in raccoons and while it poses no threat to humans, it can infect dogs and cats through bodily secretions or waste. Signs of distemper often begin with respiratory symptoms, high fever, reddened eyes, but then progress to include lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, finally disorientation, and other bizarre behavior. Since the beginning of 2015, the county has received more than 400 reports of raccoon distemper. The city's most impacted are Santa Cruz, Aptos, and Watsonville. In the last month, there were 66 reports from the city of Santa Cruz alone. The problem is also accelerating. Through the first 10 months of 2015, there were 185 reports of possible raccoon distemper. In the last three months, there have been 220. If you see a raccoon suffering from possible distemper, please call Animal Services at 831-454-7227. The animal shelter is offering the following tips to home owners and pet owners. Confirm the vaccination of your cats and your dogs. Though distemper poses no threat to humans, anyone bitten or scratched by a raccoon must contact their physician immediately. Feed your pets indoors only. Please do not feed wildlife. Feeding wildlife may lead to large concentrations of animals around food sources, increasing the spread of this disease. Thank you for your help controlling distemper in our community.