Topic: So why do cats rarely get Lyme disease.....?
tickled1
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posted
....or they may get it but not show signs or symptoms. Does anyone know if this has been studied? My brother in law's cats always have tons of ticks on them but never show signs of Lyme. I know the ticks carry Lyme b/c it's a HIGHLY endemic area for Lyme and people have become infected on their property.
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
Our local vet says that cats don't get Lyme...
He sees a ton of it in dogs and horses, but not cats.
Posts: 699 | From confusion | Registered: Jan 2011
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AZURE WISH
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our vet said the same thing as stillwaters...cats rArely get lyme
I will say that in my expereince of living with cats they are very good at hiding there symptoms (probaly a necessity from back in the day so preditors dont think they are easy prey). Often by the time you really see symptoms they are really sick. This has been my experience.
also sometimes milder symptoms are written off. harder time jumping /landing on high stuff. must be getting older. harder time up the stairs same thing.etc
maybe they get it less maybe they just hide it better. maybe we just dont pay attention as much because they are not big on complaining the way some other creatures (including us)do.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TF
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posted
My next door neighbor's cat has lyme disease. And, it is an indoor cat.
The owner is also treating for lyme disease.
Our property backs to a woods, so there are plenty of deer and other wild animals around. Also, he has a screened in back porch and the cats go out there.
Still, it seems odd that his indoor cat has lyme.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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merrygirl
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I was a vet tech for 12 years. We live in a highly endemic area. The vets I have worked for have been good ones. I have worked in ICU's in world renowned animal hospitals considered to be cutting edge.
With that said, I have NEVER in 12 years ever tested or was asked to test a cat for LYME ever. I have never seen a lab test for it either.
I personally think that cats could possibly get lyme. I say this because we would get a lot of cats that would get diagnosed with FUO, or fever of unknown origin. They would be lethargic, febrile, not eating etc. Most of the time the doctor could not find any reason for it. I think some did have bartonella. That is pretty common. I really think that some of these cats possibly had lyme or other TBI.
I should say have not worked in an animal hospital in 4 years since getting sick, so maybe things are changing, but I sorta doubt it.
I would be very curious to know how your neighbors cat was diagnosed. I am not aware of ANY test for it. The vet would have to be one that really thought out of the box. I know there was a university that was doing some special TBI testing but I dont recall it being for cats.
For dogs they have a "snap" combo test that is done with 3 drops of blood and is ready in 10 minutes. It tests for heartworm and another TBI. They were pretty accurate.
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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steve1906
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Ticks, Your Cat, and You
Most of us welcome the coming of spring and summer, with the longer days, warm weather, and freedom from shoveling snow! Unfortunately, the warmer weather also brings unwelcome blood-sucking pests such as fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. The dangers of heartworm carried by mosquitos have already been addressed in an earlier entry. Unlike mosquitos, which bite a host and then go away, ticks must attach to their host, sometimes for several days, to feed on their blood.
Ticks are arachnids that prefer to live in wooded areas and tall grass. There are two main types of ticks that live in the Northeast. The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, is larger and the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, is very small.
Ticks go through three life stages�the six-legged larval stage, then the eight-legged nymph and adult stages. At each immature stage, the tick needs to find a host to feed on before it can progress to the next stage in the life cycle. Once the tick reaches adulthood, it feeds and then mates. Female ticks lay thousands of eggs, and the life cycle starts again.
Ticks are yucky and nobody likes the idea of an insect attached to their body or the body of their pet!
However, ticks are undesirable from a medical standpoint because they can carry a wide variety of diseases that are transmitted to the animals and people that they bite. Deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, a bacterial disease that can cause joint swelling and pain, fever, and achiness. In severe cases, it can affect the eyes, the nervous system, and various internal organs.
Dog ticks can carry various species of a bacterial parasite called Ehrlichia, as well as a closely related bacterial parasite called Anaplasma. Bacteria in this family seek out various types of blood cells to colonize, and can cause fever, lethargy, and low red and white blood cell counts. Ticks must be attached to a host animal for 24 hours before they can transmit Lyme disease, but some of the other tick-borne diseases can be passed on within 6-12 hours of attachment.
Dogs are very susceptible to Lyme disease and Ehrlichia infections, as are horses. Luckily, most cats are resistant to infection and rarely get sick from tick-borne diseases. Cats do occasionally get Lyme disease and Erhlichia, however, and these diseases should be considered in a sick cat who has access to the outdoors, especially if the cause of illness is not immediately obvious.
There is a very convenient blood test for sick animals that screens for the most common tick-borne diseases.
Our office cat in Nashua, Big Papi, contracted Lyme disease while he was a stray, and had terribly sore and swollen joints. Treatment has improved his joints considerably, but because he was ill for so long before he came to us he has been left with permanent arthritis.
Despite the fact that cats rarely get tick-borne diseases, tick control is still very important for outdoor cats. We want to prevent cats from getting life-threatening diseases, even if they are rare. Tick control is also very important for protecting other people and pets in the cat�s household.
Ticks sometimes come into the house on a host animal, but then drop off and transfer to a human or other animal in the house. Since people are very susceptible to Lyme disease, and also can get Ehrlichia infections and become very ill, it is important to prevent exposure to ticks via outdoor cats.
The most important thing you can do to prevent your cat or yourself from suffering from tick bites is to check your cat for ticks every time he comes in from outside. This way you can remove any unattached ticks that could jump onto you as well as finding ticks before they have been attached for long enough to pass on an infection.
A tick control medication, called Frontline, is also generally safe and effective at killing ticks once they have attached to your cat. Frontline should be applied every 3-4 weeks if you live in an area that has many ticks.
Frontline is available over the counter as well as in our office. We also offer several other parasite preventatives, such as Advantage, Revolution, and Heartgard.
Please call if you have any questions about parasites and ways to prevent them. Other medications that are available in pet stores and grocery stores are not as safe for your cat and can cause life-threatening side effects and reactions. If you choose to buy medications somewhere other than our office, please do not purchase any product other than Frontline.
-------------------- Everything I say is just my opinion! Posts: 3529 | From Massachusetts Boston Area | Registered: Jul 2008
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onbam
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posted
I know I've seen a veterinary study saying that cats are simply are less likely to show symptoms when they do have it--i think maybe it's this one:
Burgess, E.C. 1992. Experimentally induced infection of cats with Borrelia burgdorferi. A.J.V.R. 53:1507-1511.
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tickled1
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I wonder what exactly makes them resistant to it. If someone could find this out maybe we'd be closer to a cure.
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
Interesting topic. I have two cats that rarely get outside, but they do get out.
So, we can't test our cats for Lyme, but could we get them tested for Bart?
I'm the main pooperscooper and I'm always very carefull, but...
Also a few years ago, we were away for a week and a relative was watching them. They got out and were flea infested when we got back. The house got infested, we all got bit up and had to fumigate the place.
?
Posts: 699 | From confusion | Registered: Jan 2011
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GiGi
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Why don't cats? They may or may not, but they give it to us - including Rickettsia and Toxoplasmosis. Toxo can be harmless for some and a killer for others. Get tested. It is looked upon as an infection underlying mycoplasma and treatable in different ways. My husband is being treated now for Toxo.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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merrygirl
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Yes bartonella is easy to test for. If positive, they treat the cat for 30 days with zith.
Toxo can be a nasty parasite for some. I had an acute infection (prob really lyme) a year before getting sick with lyme. It was not fun. I was out of work for 3-4 months. It is supposed to be pretty benign in most people. A lot of people have it and are fine. Not good to aquire it while pregnant or immunocompromised. Mepron treats it. I want to say bactrim does too, but cant recall.
I still dont know of any "easy" test for lyme in cats. Dont know what that article is referring to. Its possible i just dont know.
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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merrygirl
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I have also never seen a cat present at an animal hospital with " classic" swollen joints and arthritis before. Maybe an injured paw that we thought was trauma. I am sure that some cats with lyme slipped through the cracks ... i mostly did emergency and critical care, and triage. I just dont think it resents itself like that. But i am not a vet.
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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posted
Question: is it possible that cats groom themselves well enough to get rid of most ticks that way?
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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merrygirl
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Your welcome. I am going to pick a few brains from the vet world, i will keep you posted if i find anything out.
I think if your cats are acting normal, i dont think you need to test them for anything else. I think the bart test would be interesting, but its going to cost a few bucks. i cant remember how much, and i am sure its up from 4 yeats ago.
Good luck
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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merrygirl
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Robin, i think its entirely possible. But they cant get everywhere. They tend to be found around the eyes and ears. Usually nymphs. You figure they are right at tick level walking head first through brush. A lot of ticks like to travel up till they meet resistance ot find a tasty spot.
I use revolution on my cats. They dont go out. But if yours do use frontline. Its tge best defense, but not perfect. Avoid all tbe grocery store crap.
Oh stilwater
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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merrygirl
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I am on my phone and it wont let me edit previous post....sorry for typos.
Wanted to add to stillwater- bring a fresh fecal sample to the vet. They will test for intestinal parasites. Thats important. you dont have to bring in one from each cat, if one has something so does the other. The office will say to bring 2, but not needed. It wil save you $25 or so!
Posts: 3905 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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Will do... I'm waiting on my Metametric Stool Pathogen test right now. Might was well find out if my cats have intestinal parasites as well.
Posts: 699 | From confusion | Registered: Jan 2011
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merrygirl
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Good luck. The fecal test is not expensive by itself.
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