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15 June 2023
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — “Bobcat fever.” A tick-borne disease that could claim your feline’s life and fast. Doctors say indoor cats are not immune.
FOX4 talked with a veterinarian in Harrisonville about how you can keep your pets safe. They say bobcat fever is killing more and more cats every year.
FOX4 spoke with one pet owner who felt that pain this week. She has a warning for others.
“Everyone I know has never heard of it,” Tara LaMonte-Frederick said. “I just feel horrible because if I would have known about this, I would have brought him in right away.”
Her cat Dice was bitten by a lonestar tick. Dog ticks can also carry the disease. She tried to get Dice to a vet but it was too late. He died.
She says they had even sprayed him with flea and tick protection.
I Believe it’s very under reported,” Lamonte-Frederick said. “Because people don’t know what it is.”
Dr. Rebecca Morrison, a veterinarian in Harrisonville agrees. She says they see about a case a month.
“It’s increasing each year,” she said. “It seems to be getting worse and it goes with how many ticks we have too. And this year does seem like a very bad tick year, too, and those little bitty seed ticks that you can’t hardly see, those can transmit the disease too.”
Morrison says there is a treatment that gives animals a 60% shot at surviving bobcat fever. But it’s not easily at veterinarians fingertips. It takes about a day or two to get to their office and by then she says the cat may have already died from the disease.”
A researcher with The University of Missouri led the study that investigated the treatment. She tells FOX4 bobcat fever seems to be more common this year, maybe due to a mild winter, but there’s no hard data.
Morrison said there are signs and symptoms you can look for and it’s important to act fast.
“It’s a very sick cat and it can happen very quickly,” she said. “They don’t want to eat, they’re laying down.”
There are efforts to create a vaccine but nothing yet. Morrison said your best bet is to keep ticks off your cats using flea and tick protection.