Lyme Disease in Cats
Lyme disease is one of the top tick-transmitted diseases worldwide. Understanding the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is important for any cat owners who allow their cats to roam outside.
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Causes
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Feline Lyme disease can only occur when an infected tick has been feeding off the cat for a minimum of 18 hours. The tick must be infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which is the cause of Lyme disease.
Symptoms
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Unfortunately, many cats will not display any symptoms. But some clinical signs may include lameness of the affected limb, joint pain or swelling, fever, lack of appetite, swelling of the lymph nodes, dehydration and lethargy.
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Diagnosis
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If clinical symptoms appear, the cat may undergo several tests to rule out various other diseases or illnesses before Lyme disease is considered. To confirm a Lyme disease diagnosis, blood tests, a physical exam for bites or remaining ticks and a urinalysis will be performed.
Treatment
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Antibiotics are used for approximately four weeks to fully kill off the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. The cat will need to remain indoors and kept warm and dry until treatment has concluded and Lyme disease has cleared.
Misconceptions
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Though it can be transmitted from ticks to dogs or ticks to cats, Lyme disease cannot be transmitted between species or between pets and their owners.
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References
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Nannette Saunders
