Last month, my grandaughter brought her 2 year old cat in for her annual comprehensive exam and vaccinations. Her cat, Kiwi, appeared healthy and my grandaughter said she had been doing well. I examined Kiwi from head to toe, saving her teeth for last. When I opened her mouth and looked inside, I saw red, irritated, swollen gums. I was concerned right away. Inflammatory gingivitis in a young cat who has her teeth brushed fairly regularly is not normal.
When we see this condition in a young animal, we suspect there is an underlying reason. I decided to test Kiwi for Feline Leukemia and Feline Bartonella, two diseases that can cause this condition in cats. While the Feline Leukemia test came back negative, the Feline Bartonella test came back positive. A strong positive.
Feline Bartonella is a disease that cats can get from fleas. Kiwi had never had a flea infestation that we knew of and is on monthly internal and external parasite prevention. She is also an indoor cat. However, my grandaughter adopted Kiwi from another family when she was 6 weeks old. My guess is that she was infected before that.
Feline Bartonella is curable in 88% of patients diagnosed with the disease. A 4-week course of antibiotics was ordered and we began treating Kiwi as soon as she was diagnosed. However, the bigger problem is that Feline Bartonella is a zoonotic disease which means it can be transmitted from pets to humans. If transmitted to humans, the disease is commonly diagnosed as "Cat Scratch Disease". It can be difficult to diagnose in some cases because symptoms in humans do not always result from a cat scratch or bite. And symptoms can include joint pain, lethargy, neurological, eye, or even heart problems which lead physicians to believe the symptoms are from more common diseases such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, or heart disease. Also, symptoms in humans can occur weeks or months after exposure further limiting the ability to diagnose accurately. When left undiagnosed, this disease can severly impact the health of the individual.
My grandaughter has been lucky. She has been scratched by Kiwi a number of times and fortunately has never contracted Bartonella. Apparently only 1 in 1000 scratches results in transmission to humans. However, 33% of healthy cats in the Northeast have Bartonella and their owners do not know it. Consider sharing this information with your veterinarian or have your cat tested.
If you are bitten or scratched by your cat, wash your wound thoroughly. And be sure to let your doctor know if you develop any illness shortly after. Most importantly, have your cat visit your veterinarian for comprehensive examinations at least annually. There are many problems that can be diagnosed and treated with just an examination. Do it for your pet and for your family. You just might avoid serious health problems down the road!
For more information, visit: http://www.natvetlab.com/bartonella.php
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