Confirmed cases of bobcat fever in southern Indiana, tick prevention key

With confirmed cases of the highly fatal cat disease cytauxzoonosis, better known as bobcat fever, in the counties surrounding Owen County, animal health workers are asking cat, and all pet owners, to be mindful.

Bobcat Fever is a tick-borne illness primarily caused by Lone Star and American Dog ticks.

These ticks, after having a blood meal from a bobcat, the natural host species for the parasite that causes the disease and gives the disease its name, can pick up and transmit the parasite to domestic cats, Denise Derrer, Public Information Director of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), said via email.

Though affected bobcats, generally, don't get ill from the parasite, the disease can be fatal for domestic cats.

Clinical signs start to develop within five to 14 days after the bite. Symptoms to look out for are lethargy, inappetence, fever, difficulty breathing, anemia, jaundice and seizures. Affected cats can also have enlarged lymph nodes, spleen and/or liver, Derrer said via email.

Without medical intervention, death can result two to three days after the fever presents.

Though there are confirmed cases in Monroe, Greene and Martin counties, Derrer said it's challenging to track where the disease is since bobcat fever is not reportable to the BOAH.

The cases that are confirmed were reported directly from private veterinarians and labs that do the testing, but it is not mandatory for them to report their findings to the BOAH, Derrer said.

"Pet owners need to assume it's out there and able to spread, because ticks are found statewide," Derrer said via email.

Derrer recommends pet owners use preventive measures for their cats, such as keeping them indoors and using flea and tick medication.

Dr. Grant Minnemeyer of Ridgeline Veterinary Services located in Spencer also strongly recommends using preventive measures as well, due to how fatal and expensive treating the disease can be.

He recommends using monthly flea and tick medication, along with keeping cats indoors.

"The hard part is, most of these cats by the time they're getting to the vet clinic are already significantly affected," Dr. Minnemeyer said. "[They've had a] severe fever. They've had a reduced appetite for a while … and normally don't survive that initial 24- to 48-hour period. The cats that do survive, it's a pretty intense treatment."

When it comes to treating affected cats, a feeding tube filled with expensive antimalarial medication is used. Of the cats that are treated, there is a mortality rate of 50 percent.

"Treatment is difficult, to say the least, and this is all from a lot of experience, like in Oklahoma and Missouri, they've all had it for a lot longer than we have in Indiana," Dr. Minnemeyer said. "It's a newer thing here, so we're all kind of going through the process of trying to know what to do when we see [a] suspect case, but prevention is far and away the way to go because treatment costs are significant."

Due to the costs and it being an intensive treatment, Ridgeline Veterinary Services, though they haven't had confirmed cases of bobcat fever, plan to transfer the care of affected cats to the 24/7 internal medicine clinics that have access to the drugs needed.

Dogs and other species besides cats are not known to get the disease, Derrer said. With that, Dr. Minnemeyer said, no matter the animal, it's important to keep up on flea and tick medication, especially with him noticing tick-borne illnesses getting worse.

"In regards to Lyme disease in dogs and all of these tick diseases [they] continue to get worse in this part of Indiana," he said. "Check your animals for ticks. Keep them on preventions. Check yourself for ticks."

Infections of bobcat fever, due to it being a seasonal infection, start in March and they're not expected to end until September, according to Oklahoma State University.