This mouthful of a name is a disease spread by ticks that can be fatal to cats. Cytauxzoon felis is a protozoal blood parasite spread mainly by the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Twenty years ago the disease was mainly infecting cats in the southeast US, but the Lone Star tick is now found in Wisconsin and this horrible disease will be, too. When an infected tick bites a cat, the parasite enters the cat’s white blood cells which swell as the parasite matures. These enlarged cells block off small blood vessels in various internal organs, leading to inflammation, organ damage, and frequently death. The infected white blood cells eventually burst and the parasites are released into the bloodstream. They then infect red blood cells, which are ingested by feeding ticks, which can then infect another cat.
Cats will show clinical signs within 8-12 days of infection. The most common sign is a high fever, along with sudden lethargy and loss of appetite. Because internal organs become inflamed, there can be abdominal pain as well as jaundice. Without treatment, a cat often dies within 36 hours of seeking veterinary care. With treatment, about 40% of cats survive. But diagnosis isn’t completely straight-forward and since vets in Wisconsin likely haven’t seen this disease, it may not be diagnosed quickly.
The very best thing you can do is make sure your cat is protected from ticks. We recommend and use Revolution Plus on our cats, even for those that stay strictly inside. If you walk around in the outdoors, it isn’t hard for a tick to hitch a ride inside.
Dr. Scarlett
