Bobcat Fever

bluebird gal

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Having a discussion with a very good friend and fellow camper today .. I learned of Bobcat Fever.  Anyone here with any experience?  I'm going to call the local vet here tomorrow to inquire in the likelihood where we are.   But this scared the crap out of me.  My private facebook convo:
 
Our neighbors told us a few minutes ago that they came here from XXXXX (campground we are currently in until the end of April). They let their kitty run loose (need clarification on this remark) up there and now it died from Bobcat fever.   They took it to the vet at the animal hospital on Milan there in Sanger and the Bobcat fever is from a tick bite. Just wanted to let you know after reading you let Si and Monty out today.
Today was the first day we've had little Monty out on his harness to see how it went in the big outdoors.  They both got a bathrag bath having rolled in the dirt outside and I saw no ticks of course.  Nothing but dusty, black cats.

But THIS freaks me out .. not like the boys have to go outside during our stay here, but still.
 

eb24

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Wow. I have never heard of Bobcat fever before but after reading this went and did an internet search- how scary!!

I don't really have a lot of experience with outdoor cats but I suppose basic precautions could help them avoid infection. Since it sounds like they are only outdoors on a harness you have a lot of control over where they go so that's really good. I would keep them out of tall grass and check them after each walk for ticks. By running your fingers through their fur backwards you should be able to see/feel any and remove them.

That said, if they get a tick the damage could already be done, and, just because you don't see any doesn't mean one wasn't there and already jumped off. I'm not sure where you are at in your travels but I would maybe do some research on the area and see how common the type of tick that is a carrier is (the vet will probably know this too). If it's not too common and you are stationed somewhere for an extended period of time maybe make a little area outside that is safe for them to go (by cutting down any tall grass that's there, etc) while being careful not to damage the landscape too much. But, if it's really common I might not take the risk! 

I don't know what I would do if I were you. On the one hand it's good for them to get out, but on the other this is a very serious illness that they could be exposed to. I think I would find out more information before making a final choice!

Let us know what you learn and decide on.
Vibes for continued safe travels! 
 

susank521

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Thanks for the info on this, I had never heard of this disease. Awful stuff.

Don't know where you are Bluebird Gal, but, according to online reading, eastern seaboard (my area and bobcats and ticks are common) and the lower mid-west (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas) appear to be the most dangerous right now, but it's apparently spreading.

Prevention by using a topical tick product is the only suggestion I found online. Signs present in 5 to 20 days after the tick has done his dirty work. Treatment results are not encouraging. Be safe.
 
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bluebird gal

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Thanks for the info on this, I had never heard of this disease. Awful stuff.

Don't know where you are Bluebird Gal, but, according to online reading, eastern seaboard (my area and bobcats and ticks are common) and the lower mid-west (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas) appear to be the most dangerous right now, but it's apparently spreading.

Prevention by using a topical tick product is the only suggestion I found online. Signs present in 5 to 20 days after the tick has done his dirty work. Treatment results are not encouraging. Be safe.
We are currently in Sanger, TX (North Texas).  But we are in a rural setting where this particular campground is located.  Even as well manicured as the campground is, we are surrounded by farm land/cattle grazing with taller grasses, etc.

Awful disease is right!

I'm pretty sure at this point I will not have the boys back out on their harnesses for the duration of our stay here (end of April).  That has just totally freaked me out.  My brain cannot even process anything bad happening to one of our boys .. even though Life happens ..

I've asked the friend who advised me about that other couple's cat, etc. to ask for more info.  Where they were before here, etc.   Are they absolutely certain it happened here?   

Since the local vet we have used in the past while staying here is closed on the weekends, I have not had a chance to ask her about any of this.

There are a number of semi-feral cats who don't seem to belong to anyone around here.  Now I'll just be worried sick about them too
 

susank521

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Yes, just one more thing to be worried about my outside kitties, especially my feral kitties who obviously don't get any flea/tick treatment.
 

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I hadn't heard of it either.  It does look like awful stuff, what I found said it was nearly 100 percent fatal, the nearly being the possible kitty here and there that may survive.  Couple that with reports that bobcats have returned and the population growing in Ohio that is one more thing to worry about.  The thing is it would be possible to bring in a tick that could infect an inside cat.  That isn't anything that I read, it's just seems at least  possible.
 
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bluebird gal

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Well .. I have now spoken with: the emergency veterinary hospital that I was initially told about, and started this thread about; I spoke to our new veterinarian we just established 30mi from our current location, and today I spoke with the local vet, literally a half mile up the road from us, that we have used here in the past and none of them had heard from any other vet professionals, that there have been any cases reported, much less attempted treatment of bobcat fever in Texas period, not just here where we are, in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area.

While that makes me feel a million percent better about having my own boys out on their harness in good weather .. I'm still left wondering, as were all 3 veterinary professionals, how some random person would just come up with the phrase Bobcat Fever.   I think the local vet up the road had a better idea "somebody got on Google & diagnosed the matching symptoms themselves" and maybe that was so.  But still ... a veterinary professional would have told someone what their cat passed away from.  I can't fathom why they wouldn't!

They all stated the obvious - Texas (as do many other Southern states) have all of the components needed and this horrible virus is a possibility.   However, two of the vets (the local here & the recently established ) - stated that in their specific practices they had not yet even seen the natural, expected rise of ticks being reported yet at all.  
 
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denice

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I did find it by googling Bobcat Fever so the name isn't made up.  Bobcats and the Florida panther are the natural reservoir for the virus.  The virus doesn't make them sick so they are carriers of it.  I did find articles about it in domestic cats and they very rarely survive it.
 

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Wow that's interesting (and comforting) about what all the vets said. I agree with Denice that it isn't a "made up" illness as I was reading a vet journal article about it. Though, I agree with the local vet that perhaps someone was just googling symptoms and came across it and started the scare in the first place without merit. 

Regardless of how it came to be, it's a good thing to know about and be aware of. I too would feel much better about taking them out in their harnesses on good days. Since I'm a scary cat (no pun intended) I would still probably avoid tall grass and do a tick check afterwards. But, how reassuring to know that it isn't running rampant! 
 
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bluebird gal

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Oh yes I felt tremendously better having chatted with all of them and that is really what I have to believe at this point too - someone freaked themselves out and/or arm chair diagnosed this virus as their issue. 
 
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