Cat Disease from Ticks: Should You Be Afraid of Lyme Disease?

Many people know that people and dogs can get Lyme disease. Cats can also become infected with it, although this happens quite rarely. Hill’s experts will talk about how this infection is manifested and transmitted.

Lyme disease: general information

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by an infected tick. Once a person or animal is infected, the bacteria travel through the bloodstream to various organs such as the joints, kidneys, and heart, which further leads to health problems.

It was once believed that Lyme disease was transmitted only by deer bloodsuckers, but entomologists have discovered over time that several types of common ticks can also be involved in the transmission of the bacteria.

Can cats get Lyme disease?

For one reason or another, pets are not the tick’s preferred food. However, this does not give cats XNUMX% protection against tick bites. Although ticks, which most often carry disease-causing bacteria, prefer wild animals such as voles, mice and deer, they are quite happy with the blood of a cat and its owner. Fortunately, ticks cannot jump and move rather slowly. They are much easier to avoid than pesky insects like mosquitoes or fleas.

The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine advises that a Lyme disease-infected tick must be attached to the body and feed on blood for at least 36 to 48 hours to carry the bacteria. For this reason, it’s easy to reduce your cat’s chance of contracting Lyme disease by examining them daily, especially during tick season.

If a tick is found, it must be removed immediately. Ticks can transmit the disease to people, so you can not touch them with bare hands. Wear disposable gloves and wash your hands after the procedure. Contrary to popular belief, an owner cannot contract Lyme disease from a pet. Another myth is that a cat can get Lyme disease by eating mice, which is also not true.

Clinical signs of Lyme disease in cats

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, cats often show no physical signs of illness, even if they have become infected. But if the syndromes appear, they may be as follows:

• Lameness.
• Increased body temperature.
• Decrease or loss of appetite.
• Lethargy.
• Unwillingness to jump to a height or favorite perch.
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Any of these signs should be seen by a veterinarian during tick season. If he diagnoses the cat with Lyme disease, treatment will include oral antibiotics to clear the bacteria from the cat’s body. Because Lyme disease can also affect the kidneys, joints, nervous system, and heart, a veterinarian will carefully examine these organ systems to see if targeted treatment is needed.

Can a cat be tested for Lyme disease?

Diagnosing Lyme disease can be problematic in terms of accuracy. Widely available tests are used to detect antibodies that indicate the presence of bacteria in the body. To do this, it is necessary to pass the analysis twice with an interval of two to three weeks. In addition, a positive antibody test does not always indicate a clinical disease, but may simply mean that the bacteria has entered the cat’s body. In addition, a positive result in cats is most often a “false positive”. This means that the interaction of the cat’s blood with the components of the reagent caused a positive color change without the presence of true antibodies to Lyme disease.

There is a blood test called a Western blot. It allows you to determine if the cat has Lyme disease or just antibodies from the presence of bacteria in the body. However, this blood test is quite rare and expensive. For this reason, veterinarians usually try to rule out other diseases first, such as kidney disease, heart disease, or joint disease.

Some research suggests that cats can be successfully treated for Lyme disease if diagnosed early. This treatment is relatively affordable and easy for cats receiving oral medications. If the disease develops over time, treatment can be lengthy – from several weeks to several months. Chronic cases can lead to permanent organ damage, so it’s important to seek veterinary help at the first suspicion of Lyme disease.

Prevention: Are there vaccines for Lyme disease for cats?

While dogs are diagnosed with Lyme disease on a daily basis by veterinarians, cats rarely become infected with it. For this reason, there is no vaccine to protect cats from Lyme disease. The best prevention is to protect your cat from ticks, especially during the season.

How to protect a cat from ticks? Inspect after walks and purchase a special collar for her. While Lyme disease shouldn’t be high on the list of cat health concerns, it’s good for owners to be aware of this tick-borne bacterial disease in case their pet ever comes across it.