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This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 1,033 times.
Cytauxzoonosis is a serious and often fatal cat disease occurring primarily in the southeastern and southcentral United States. It is caused by the organism Cytauxzoon felis (C. felis), which enters a cat’s body through the bite of the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Cytauxzoonosis causes severe illness and must be treated immediately to increase a cat’s chances of recovery. If your vet has diagnosed cytauxzoonosis in your cat, begin veterinary treatment immediately.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 2:
Receiving Veterinary Care
Take your cat to the vet. A cat with cytauxzoonosis will start showing signs of the disease 5 and 14 days after getting infected with C. felis.[1] Disease symptoms include anorexia, fever, and difficulty breathing.[2] Once you recognize signs of the disease, take your cat to your vet, who will diagnose the disease and recommend a treatment plan. Below are some questions you can ask regarding cytauxzoonosis treatment:- How long will treatment last?
- How much will treatment cost?
- What are my cat’s chances of recovery?
Hospitalize your cat. Cytauxzoonosis requires intensive treatment. You will need to hospitalize your cat for at least several days so your vet can administer the different treatments.[3] Be aware that, in addition to the cost of the treatment itself, there will be a hospitalization cost as well.
Have your vet feed and rehydrate your cat. Cytauxzoonosis makes cats very weak. Your cat may not be strong enough to eat or drink on its own. If this is the case, your vet will feed your cat through a feeding tube. This feeding tube will go either through your cat’s mouth (‘esophageal’) or through the nose (‘nasoesophageal’).[4]- Your vet will feed your cat a liquid gruel that would easily slide down through the feeding tube and into your cat’s stomach.
- To rehydrate your cat, your vet will give your cat fluids directly into its bloodstream through its veins (‘intravenous fluids’).[5] IV fluids will rehydrate your cat much more quickly than oral fluids.
Let your vet administer oral medications. Several medications are available that will kill C. felis. These drugs, which your vet will use in combination, are called azithromycin and atovaquone.[6]- Other drugs are available to treat cytauxzoonosis in cats. However, the azithromycin/atovaquone combination has shown better survival rates.
Discuss the need for additional treatments. Sometimes, cytauxzoonosis can require even more intensive care. For example, if your cat is severely anemic (very low red blood cell count), it will likely need a blood transfusion.[9] In addition, if your cat’s fever remains high despite treatment, your vet will want to give your cat an anti-inflammatory medication to bring the fever down.- If your cat’s breathing troubles are severe, it will need oxygen therapy.[10]
- Veterinary blood banks are available for animals that need blood transfusions. Your vet may refer to you a blood bank so your cat can receive a transfusion.
Wait for your cat to recover. Recovery from cytauxzoonosis is often a slow process. If a cat is fortunate enough to survive, it will take at least several weeks for all disease symptoms to disappear.[11] Your vet will keep you updated on your cat’s progress during its hospitalization.- Be aware that not all cats treated for cytauxzoonosis will survive. As your vet treats your cat, they will be honest with you regarding your cat’s chances for recovery.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:
Preventing Cytauxzoonosis
Keep your cat indoors. As you can see, cytauxzoonosis is a serious disease that can be very expensive to treat. The best way to prevent your cat from getting the disease is to keep it indoors.[12] Keeping your cat indoors will keep it away from ticks. If you have an outdoor cat (or an indoor cat that frequently goes outside), use the following strategies to transition it to being a strictly indoor cat:[13]- Start feeding your cat indoors. Keep your cat inside for increasingly longer periods of time before letting it back out, until you do not let it back out at all.
- Give your cat lots of toys to play with, especially toys that encourage chasing and pouncing.
- Spend a lot of quality time with your cat.
Give your cat a tick preventive. If your cat is stubbornly against staying indoors, you will need to protect it from tick bites with a tick preventive. Monthly prescription tick preventatives are available through your vet. These monthly preventatives are applied directly to the skin between a cat’s shoulder blades.
Check your cat for ticks if it goes outside. If your cat wants to be outside, you will need to closely examine its skin every day for ticks. If you see a tick, you will need to carefully remove it. Below are tips for safely removing a tick:- Wear gloves when removing the tick.
- Grab the tick with a pair of tweezers or tick-removal tool. Grab it where the head and neck attach and pull straight up to remove it from the skin.
- Place the tick in a jar of alcohol to kill it.
Make your yard unappealing to ticks. To further prevent your cat from getting infected with C. felis, keep your grass and shrubbery trimmed short. Also remove any debris, such as piles of leaves, that would provide a nice hiding place for ticks.Advertisement
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Tips
- Currently, there is no vaccine to protect against cytauxzoonosis.[16]Thanks
- During and after treatment for cytauxzoonosis, it is important to minimize a cat’s stress.[17]Thanks
- If you remove a tick from your cat, continue watching your cat for signs of cytauxzoonosis. If your cat becomes sick, take the jar with the tick with you so your vet can identify the tick.Thanks
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Warnings
- Cats can get infected with C. felis despite receiving a tick preventive and/or wearing a flea collar.[18]Thanks
- Many cats with cytauxzoonosis will get worse during the first few days of treatment and succumb to the disease.[19]Thanks
- A cat that survives cytauxzoonosis treatment will become a chronic carrier, meaning that it will carry C. felis in its blood for the rest of its life. Chronic carriers can infect other cats by way of a tick bite.[20]Thanks
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References
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/cytauxzoonosis/
- ↑ http://www.marvistavet.com/cytauxzoonosis-in-the-cat.pml
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/cytauxzoonosis/
- ↑ http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/cytauxzoonosis/
- ↑ http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/cytauxzoonosis/
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/pharmacology/systemic_pharmacotherapeutics_of_the_cardiovascular_system/drugs_acting_on_the_blood_or_blood-forming_organs.html
- ↑ http://www.cat-world.com.au/Cat-Health-Collection/cytauxzoonosisincats.html
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.marvistavet.com/cytauxzoonosis-in-the-cat.pml
- ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/bringing_outside_cat_indoors.html
- ↑ http://www.marvistavet.com/cytauxzoonosis-in-the-cat.pml
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/cytauxzoonosis/
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/circulatory_system/blood_parasites/cytauxzoonosis.html
- ↑ http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/cytauxzoonosis/
- ↑ https://cvm.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Cytauxzoonfelis.pdf
About this article
Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years. This article has been viewed 1,033 times.
Co-authors: 3
Updated: April 7, 2019
Views: 1,033
Article SummaryX
To treat cytauxzoonosis in your cat, start by taking it to the vet for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, since this is a serious and often fatal disease caused by a tick bite. Be aware that your cat will need to be hospitalized for a few days, since Cytauxzoonosis requires intensive treatment. If your cat is too weak to eat or drink, it will be put on a feeding tube and given fluids directly into its veins. Your vet may also administer oral medications and shots. Once your cat finishes its treatments, expect to wait up to several weeks for all the symptoms to disappear. For more tips from our Veterinary co-author, including how to prevent cytauxzoonosis, keep reading!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,033 times.
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