Dog and Cat Plague

The Dog and Cat Plague
Event information
Date(s)	1983
Victim(s)	All Dogs and Cats on Earth †
Outcome(s)	all Dogs and Cats on Earth dies. Humans start to use Apes as pets, then later as slaves The Ape Rebellion begins.
Continuity	Movies (APJ)
First Appearance	Escape from the Planet of the Apes (mentioned)
Last Appearance	Planet of the Apes: The Time of Man

The Dog and Cat Plague refers to a virus of alien origin that led to the overnight death of domestic pets, particularly most canine and feline species.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

The rise of the apes was preceded by the plague that wiped out dogs and cats. Thousands of animals perished, and many others had to be destroyed in an effort to contain the spread of infection, with massive dog bonfires burning across cities. Once the plague was contained, humans began domesticating primitive apes as pets, initially training them to perform simple tasks. Over the course of two centuries, from 1973 onward, apes evolved from performing tricks to serving humans in increasingly complex roles.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

In February 1983, Astronauts brought back samples from space that contained an extraterrestrial virus. Within months, the world's population of dogs and cats was decimated. Humans, as well as most species of apes, were immune to the virus. Humanity, in their overwhelming need for pets, turned instead towards keeping apes as pets. Domestication led to a rapid developmental change in ape physiology and they grew in both size and intelligence. Before long, keeping apes as pets evolved into keeping apes as indentured servants. Modern cities across the globe enslaved healthy apes of various species, particularly gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. This systemic oppression, alongside Armando's death, ultimately culminated in the ape revolution, led by Caesar.

Marvel Comics Continuity

1982: The year of the Plague From Space. Brought back to Earth by an unidentified space probe (many records were lost in the war), the Plague spreads over the planet in weeks, killing all cats and dogs. Apparently harmless to mankind and other animal species.

1982 to 1991: It is in this period that the repercussions of the Plague begin to be felt. Humans, to replace their lost pets, turn to keeping small primates, birds, lizards, etc. The primates are found to be the most useful and gradually become the most common household animal. Gradually larger and larger ones are taken in. In this generation of primates the Plague’s genetic effects show themselves: stature increases and so does intelligence in the larger orders.

Malibu Graphics Continuity

Ape City

A plague similar to the one that wiped out dogs and cats emerged in Europe after some countries granted freedom to apes in response to the rebellion led by Caesar in America. This time, the virus targeted humans, leading to widespread panic and violent retaliation against the apes. However, as humans fought back, many eventually succumbed to the disease. Those fortunate enough to survive lost their ability to speak and think altogether, being reduced to a mere animalistic state.

Ape Nation

The plague not only affected domesticated canine species, as wolves also succumbed to it, although some managed to survive and endure up to the year 2138 and beyond. One wolf eventually crossed paths with Simon the Slaughterer, who took the animal in and named it Dingo.

BOOM! Studios Continuity

Planet of the Apes: The Time of Man - Armando’s Tale

By 1985, Armando was contacted by a growing simian adoption company that aimed to use his talents in training chimpanzees to meet the demand for higher primates as household pets. Armando questioned the company’s representative, asking how long before the simple tasks these apes perform became more complex, and how long before these 'ape pets' turned into slaves.

Notes

• While the start of the plague is explicitly stated to occur in 1983 on the Pets Memorial, both the timeline created by Marvel Comics and the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes novelization incorrectly place it in 1982. This discrepancy likely stems from the fact that they were working from an earlier version of the screenplay.
• Some fans have theorized that the apeonauts were responsible for spreading the plague. This theory is supported by the fact that, in Marvel's continuity, the plague accelerates the apes' intellectual evolution and alters their physiology, aligning with the time loop proposed in this continuity and reflecting Paul Dehn’s authorial intent.
  • The only official work to confirm this theory is the short story Murderer’s Row from Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone, in which Cornelius comes into contact with a dog that dies shortly afterward.
• The effects of this plague’s successor on humans are eerily similar to those portrayed by the Simian Flu in the reboot continuity, particularly in War for the Planet of the Apes. Whether this resemblance was intentional or merely a coincidence (which is the more likely scenario) remains unknown.

Appearences

• Escape from the Planet of the Apes (mentioned)
• Escape from the Planet of the Apes (Novelization)
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (Novelization)
• Planet of the Apes Magazine: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
  • Planet of the Apes Magazine #11: Outlines of Tomorrow
• Malibu Graphics' Planet of the Apes (Malibu Graphics) (flashback)
• Malibu Graphics' Ape Nation (mentioned)
• Malibu Graphics' Ape City (flashback)
• Revolution on the Planet of the Apes
• Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone - Murderer’s Row
• Planet of the Apes: The Time of Man