Ever heard of cat scratch disease or cat scratch fever? I think I had it once. I’d just received my flu shot and wham, a spot on my neck swelled up like crazy. Of course, doctors and pharmacists said the shot could not have caused that symptom. So what was it? When it didn’t go away, I saw my doctor and she directed me to an ear/nose/throat specialist. By the time I saw him the lump was going down and continued to do so. To this day, I wonder if it was a mild case of cat scratch fever or cat scratch disease.
Here are some facts from an article in Health News from NPR by Erin Ross. Cat-scratch disease, as the name suggests, is spread by cats. While it’s usually considered a mild disease, they’re finding that people seem to be getting more serious symptoms in recent years. According to Dr. Christina Nelson, “While the total number of people infected with the disease has gone down, the number of people becoming seriously ill has increased.”
Cat-scratch disease is caused by a bacteria. While this bacteria doesn’t seem to affect the cat, if she has it, she can become a carrier and pass it to other cats and to people. The bacteria is caused by fleas.
It’s predicted that around 12,000 people will be diagnosed with cat-scratch disease in a year and that 500 of them will be hospitalized. Most of the infections will occur in areas where fleas are more common. Yes, fleas are the culprit, but the cat spreads it through a playful or angry scratch or bite. You can also get this disease from an affected cat when he licks an open sore on your arm, for example.
What’s the best defense against cat-scratch disease? Stay away from cats. Yeah, right.
Jayden and Lily
Okay, let’s go to remedy number two and three. If you live in an area where fleas are prevalent, either move to a higher altitude where fleas don’t exist or treat your cat against fleas. Keep your cat indoors. Wash your hands after touching a stray cat. Do not let a cat lick your scrapes or wounds. And the experts also suggest not kissing your cat. Say what?
Okay, so how do you know if your cat has this bacterial infection? You can have her tested. According my research, most cats will carry the bacteria at some time in their lives—usually when they’re kittens. Cats and kittens seem to carry the bacteria for short periods and treatment is not usually recommended or necessary.
Symptoms you might experience from a bite, a lick, or a kiss from an infected cat are loss of appetite, headache, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, sore throat. People most prone to this disease are those with a compromised immune system. For more information, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/cat-scratch.html or http://www.healthline.com/health/cat-scratch-disease
This isn’t exactly an upbeat topic. Don’t worry, tomorrow’s post will be a bit light. It’s Frivolous Friday, after all. Have you ever thought about a cat’s whiskers? A cats’ face would not be the same without the whiskers. But why do cats have whiskers? Is there a purpose? Tune in tomorrow.
