Pet Health: Bobcat Fever in cats

Spring of the year is when people think the most about parasites such as fleas and ticks and make sure their pet is protected. Here in the Ozarks, spring of the year means the ticks come out with a vengeance. With that means we in the veterinary community also battle a tick-borne disease that affects cats known as Bobcat Fever. 

The organism known as cytauxzoon felis, referred to as bobcat fever, is a protozoan parasite spread through bites from the lone star tick (brown tick, with white dot on its back). The name Bobcat Fever comes from the bobcat being the original host or reservoir for the parasite, but deer and dogs are also thought to carry it. The parasite quickly attacks the red blood cells of the cat, causing severe illness. Signs or symptoms of the illness include high fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, jaundice and labored breathing. 

This horrible disease is almost 100% fatal and it must be caught almost immediately. It is diagnosed via a blood smear, looking for the parasite inside the red blood cells. The cats who survive are treated aggressively with medications and fluids and are, therefore, hospitalized around the clock until they are well enough to return home, which is at least five to seven days’ duration of hospitalization. 

The only way to truly prevent this disease is to prevent a cat from getting bit by a tick in the first place. It is a misnomer that most flea and tick products prevent a tick bite. They actually do not prevent a tick bite and the tick bite is needed in order for the product to kill the tick. Sadly, this means that the cat gets exposed to an infection via the tick bite before the tick is even killed. Cat owners either need to keep their cats strictly indoors or have them on a prevention that repeals the tick, which should limit/prevent a tick bite, preventing transmission of infection. 

Oddly enough, this disease is localized to the Ozarks, therefore, many people have never heard about it. My goal is to educate as many cat owners as possible and to prevent their cat from getting it. In the springtime, I might see up to five cases a day in the clinic. I would like all cat owners to be aware of this disease so they can properly prevent it in their feline family members.