Tick-borne diseases in cats are rarely diagnosed, which does not mean that cats do not get sick. It turns out that a tick can infect a cat with diseases such as babesiosis, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, mycoplasma. What are the symptoms of tick-borne diseases in cats? How is the treatment going? and can tick-borne diseases in cats be prevented?

Tick-borne diseases in catspose a threat not only to he alth, but also to life of these animals, which is why it is so important to use prophylaxis - anti-tick agents in various forms.

They are highly effective because they usually kill the insect before it becomes infected, which usually occurs 24-48 hours after the injection.

Contents:

  1. Babesia (Babesia felis) in the cat
  2. Cat Anaplasmosis
  3. Cat erlichiosis
  4. Cat Lyme Disease
  5. Contagious Feline Anemia (FIA)
  6. Effective ways to protect your cat from ticks

In Poland, tick-borne diseases in cats are diagnosed extremely rarely. There are no known statistics of cats' tick-borne diseases - however, this is not clear evidence that cats are resistant to microbes transmitted by ticks - the reason may be the lack of proper diagnosis.

The most famous tick-borne disease - Lyme disease - in cats in Poland has not been reported so far, but e.g.feline granulocytic anaplasmosis has been diagnosed in central and eastern Poland.

Babesia (Babesia felis) in the cat

Babesia in cats is caused by protozoaBabesia spp.that live in the blood, infect only erythrocytes and are transmitted by ticks, the so-called hard.

Babesiosis in cats is rarely found.

There is not much information about which species of ticks infect cats in Europe, but research is still ongoing. Much more is known about feline babesiosis in other parts of the world - especially in southern Africa, cats have many different species and subspeciesBabesia .

It should be remembered that in most cases, babesiosis in infected cats develops in the course of other infections (primarily caused by retroviruses).and / or mycoplasmas).

The symptoms of babesiosis in cats include:

  • sleepiness
  • anorexic
  • weakness
  • diarrhea

These symptoms may also be accompanied by fever and jaundice, but the symptoms may not be apparent until later in the disease.

In order to diagnose the disease, blood tests are performed - smear, serological tests or using molecular diagnostics.

Treatment should be started immediately after diagnosis - imidocarb dipropionate is used, and in some countries fenamidine.

As an alternative, appropriate supportive measures are recommended, including hydration and, if necessary, blood transfusion.

The immunity of babesiosis and anaplasmosis is short-lived, and the animal may contract one of these diseases again.

Cat Anaplasmosis

Ticks from the familyIxodes( I. Ricinus, I. pacificus, I. scapularis, I. persulcatus ) transmit two types of microorganisms -Anaplasma phagocytophilum(previously calledEhrlichia phagocytophila ), which attacks granulocytes, andAnaplasma platys(previously calledEhrlichia platys ), which attacks platelets.

Reports of infectionsAnaplasma spp . in cats they are rare. Cats infectedA. phagocytophilumshow drowsiness, anorexia, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, anemia and thrombocytopenia.

Anaplasmosis is zoonotic, which means that people also suffer from it.

To detect anaplasmosis, a microscopic analysis of the pet's blood is performed. If the test result is inconclusive, serological tests or PCR tests are performed.

Tetracycline antibiotics - usually containing doxycycline - are the most commonly used drugs to treat anaplasmosis.

Cat erlichiosis

Reports of infectionsE. canisin cats are rare. Clinical symptoms are not described.

Cat Lyme Disease

CoilsBorrelia burgdorferi , causing Lyme disease, are transmitted by ticks(Ixodes ricinus ,I. Hexagonus iI. Persulcatus ).

Although cats have positive serological tests, the disease is still poorly understood in cats.

There are no data on the incidence, clinical symptoms and treatment options. It is only known that in naturally infected cats the clinical formthe disease is rare.

Detecting the presence of Borrelia in culture, cytology or PCR can be difficult, time consuming and expensive. Serological tests are a much better solution.

The treatment uses doxycycline for at least one month.

Contagious Feline Anemia (FIA)

Among tick-borne diseases, contagious feline anemia caused byMycoplasma haemofelis(d.Haemobartonella felis ) is not very common, but it can be real dangerous.

There are 4 phases of the disease:

  • phase A- before seeding the parasites into the blood, it takes about 15 days
  • phase B- acute phase, sowing parasites into the blood several times for about 45 days
  • phase C- recovery
  • phase D- carriage

The symptoms are bothersome, and its diagnosis and treatment are difficult, relapses and deaths are quite frequent.

The FIA ​​has a mortality rate of around 25%

Infectious feline anemia can also be transmitted by fleas , through contact with the blood of an infected cat (during combat or during transfusion) and through the mother's placenta.

The clinical symptom of the FIA, if noticed at all, is anemia, with periods of exacerbation and remission.

The FIA ​​can take one of 3 forms - acute, subacute or chronic. Usually, the fact that a cat is suffering from something is discovered when its condition deteriorates significantly.

In a sick cat you can observe:

  • enlarged liver
  • enlarged lymph nodes
  • heart rhythm disturbance
  • rapid breathing
  • fatigue

In the course of infectious feline anemia, a hemolytic crisis may occur, the noticeable symptoms of which are:

  • apathy
  • anorexia
  • weakness
  • breathing disorders
  • collapse

A hemolytic crisis can also become acute when the following symptoms are observed:

  • depression
  • weakness
  • jaundice
  • weight loss
  • spleen enlargement

which usually lead to the cat's death.

Read:Cat tick (what to do, how to take it out, how to remove, symptoms)

Worth knowing

Tick-borne diseases from which cats, unlike dogs, do not get sick:

  • sheep ankle disease
  • European tick-borne encephalitis

Effective ways to protect your cat from ticks

It is a good idea to anticipate the parasites and protect your cat. Downthe most commonly used tickicides in cats are tick collars.

It is an effective prophylactic tool in the fight against ticks or fleas, it contains a properly selected composition of essential oils that work in an additive and complementary way.

Thanks to this, they effectively discourage parasites from being in the company of animals.

Other agents that can be used are sprays, spot-ons, chewing tablets.

It should be remembered that no chemical agent can guarantee 100% that the tick will not penetrate the cat, but if it does, it will be able to kill

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Pets