Domestic cats are dying of Bobcat Fever, veterinarians warn. So what is it?

[TexasTowelie]

Veterinarians in states such as Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee are warning pet owners this spring of a deadly parasite that's killing cats.

Its scientific name is Cytauxzoon felis, but it's commonly referred to as Bobcat Fever.

It's called that because bobcats (as well as mountain lions) are said to be natural carriers of the parasite, according to a 2012 article from the University of Missouri. The disease spreads through tick bites, and it mainly affects domestic cats that spend most of their time outside, though it can also infect tigers, the report said.

Leah Cohn, a small-animal disease expert with the University of Missouri, once called it the "Ebola virus for cats," because it can kill cats in a matter of days.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article211902639.html

[Glamrock]

1. Well shit!

Glad my babies are indoor only.

[TexasTowelie]

3. We must protect the furry felines.

Unfortunately, my cats are used to spending some time outdoors so it is a hard habit to break.

[murielm99]

5. My cat, too.

When the weather is nice, he spends the entire day outside. He likes to play with the outdoor cats. We have three who live outside, and one who is a house cat. Maybe I need to talk to the vet. The article says there is no vaccine.

[japple]

8. Same here. I have one cat that was semi-feral when she came to live with me. She would rather

die than spend her life indoors, so she spends some time outside. I keep Revolution flea/tick applications current, but it appears that it is only good for dog ticks, not Lone Star ticks. I think there is an application of Advantage that is good for ticks. Going to have to do more research. I cannot imagine keeping this cat indoors all the time. We do have a large screened porch where out cats can play, but Dolly is miserable unless she can go out into the real world. I do make sure she is back indoors by 4:00 every afternoon.

[murielm99]

9. Victor the cat

came in early today. It is 93 degrees out there!

[japple]

10. Dang, and we thought it was hot here at around 85! It's pretty humid with the tropical storm

effect from Alberto, but I can't imagine 93 in May (even at the end of the month!) I hope your Victor has a long & happy life, Muriel. Sometimes you just have to make allowances for those wild ones. I will not blame anyone if Dolly dies in the line of duty. She is a happy cat. She was rescued from a shelter at 5 mos. of age, pregnant, with URI and pneumonia and nearly died. She has tolerated me for about 8 years.

[murielm99]

11. Someone dumped Victor here.

He was a few months old, and weighed less than five pounds. He hunted and kept his prey from being stolen by the bigger cats. He has a huge vocabulary of chirps, tweets and meows. We brought him inside because he is so friendly and deserved a chance at a better life. He was amazingly healthy, according to the vet.

We live in the country, so many animals get dumped here. People are the worst about cats. We have found entire litters.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. K&R! Thanks for the information, that's scary stuff!

My cat doesn't go outside and we're not near any of these states, but I'm passing this on!

[Silver Gaia]

4. Shared. Thanks!

[sinkingfeeling]

6. My 3 semi-feral cats are exposed. I've been bitten 6 times this spring by deer ticks.

But I also have 7 or 8 does living on my property.

[Boomer]

7. Yikes! This is cause for concern.

Diseases like this can spread northward, especially as the climate is generally warming.

As tamed ferals, my two cats are in and out all day long and spend a lot of time outside. It's all I can do to get them inside for the night.

[WhiteTara]

12. It has been in our area for a few years and I keep our cats

protected with frontline. I tried Soresto this year and one cat can tolerate it and the other can't so it's back to the little squeeze tube instead of the collar.

It is essential to make sure you use tick prevention because it is a very deadly disease.