Summer is just about to begin and so is the possibility of increase in the number of ticks and fleas and other harmful things for your animal friends out there. Recently, Barbara Tarbutton lost her beloved cat Pawpaws to a very common, yet deadly tick disease that happens to affects cats only.
Read more to find out about the disease and prevention to help your furry friends stay safe.
Many US regions like Arkansas, Oklahoma and others have been gripped with feline deaths due to a parasitic disease known as Bobcat Fever or Cytauxzoon felis. This deadly parasitic disease is highly fatal for cats. The Lone Star tick has been carrying this disease for a long time, and cats have been getting it for a long time. The Lone Star Tick is really common in Oklahoma and it carries a lot of diseases that affect cats ” said Dr. Laura Nafe, a veterinarian at Oklahoma State University.
The tick is known as lone star tick and it bites the cats and the symptoms of the disease start to show up, when there is little time to do anything to save the animal. "Most people have probably seen a lone star tick even if they're not familiar with them by name. They're the ones that have a bright white spot on their back" said Susan Nelson, a veterinarian and clinical associate professor at Kansas State University's Veterinary Health Center.
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The disease got its name Bobcat fever, as bobcats are the main reservoir for the disease. However, Bobcats are totally immune to the disease and it only affects other cats. Symptoms of the disease start to show up within 5-20 days of the tick bite.
Lethargy, inappetance, high fever, dehydration, icterus (jaundice), enlarged liver and spleen, lymphadenopathy, pale mucus membranes, respiratory distress, tachycardia or bradycardia, and tick infestation are some of the signs you and the vet can look out for while diagnosing the animal.
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The disease can kill the cats within a day of contraction, while some cats have been known to survive the disease and become immune to it afterwards. Susan Nelson says, “Their appetite is going to decrease. They may feel very hot to you as they will tend to run a high fever early in the course of the disease. with the disease progressing breathing problems, dehydration and the whites of their eyes or the inside of their ears might start looking yellow as they start getting jaundiced. Their body temperature will start to drop as they near the end stages of the disease.”
The sad part is that there is no vaccine for the disease and treatment is expensive and not always successful. Therefore vets suggest that you must take precautions with your feline friends during the tick bite season.
One of the things you can do is keep the cats indoors. If you are not able to do that, then keep your yard well maintained and decontaminated. Keep the grass short, as the ticks happen to lurk in the tall grass and latch onto the animals as they rub themselves against the grass. Keep an eye out for ticks on the animal and if you happen to have a dog as well, keep it tick free as well.
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Give the cat medication to keep them safe from tick bites and fleas and check them regularly for ticks.