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Background  As there is little data on vector-borne diseases of cats in the Caribbean region and even around the world, we tested feral cats from St Kitts by PCR to detect infections with  Babesia ,  Ehrlichia  and spotted fever group  Rickettsia  (SFGR) and surveyed them for antibodies to  Rickettsia rickettsii  and  Ehrlichia canis .    Results  Whole blood was collected from apparently healthy feral cats during spay/ neuter campaigns on St Kitts in 2011 ( N  = 68) and 2014 ( N  = 52). Sera from the 52 cats from 2014 were used to detect antibodies to  Ehrlichia canis  and  Rickettsia rickettsii  using indirect fluorescent antibody tests and DNA extracted from whole blood of a total of 119 cats (68 from 2011, and 51 from 2014) was used for PCRs for  Babesia ,  Ehrlichia  and  Rickettsia . We could not amplify DNA of SFG  Rickettsia  in any of the samples but found DNA of  E. canis  in 5% (6/119),  Babesia vogeli  in 13% (15/119),  Babesia gibsoni  in 4% (5/119), mixed infections with  B. gibsoni  and  B. vogeli  in 3% (3/119), and a poorly characterized  Babesia  sp. in 1% (1/119). Overall, 10% of the 52 cats we tested by IFA for  E. canis  were positive while 42% we tested by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) for  R. rickettsii  antigens were positive.    Conclusions  Our study provides the first evidence that cats can be infected with  B. gibsoni  and also indicates that cats in the Caribbean may be commonly exposed to other vector-borne agents including SFGR , E. canis  and  B. vogeli . Animal health workers should be alerted to the possibility of clinical infections in their patients while public health workers should be alerted to the possibility that zoonotic SFGR are likely circulating in the region.

Survey of vector-borne agents in feral cats and first report of Babesia gibsoni in cats on St Kitts, West Indies