feline bartonella?

[rainbowmoon]

Our vet seems to think one of our cats might possibly have this. (he has some gum issues) what the heck is this? Is it treatable? Will our other cats need treatment too? It is "cat scratch fever"? Can we really catch it? Any information would be appreciated. I am googling but not finding definitive info as of yet so I thought I'd ask here.

[Catubodua]

it's bordetella, so you may not be finding much. but, below is a good link with info. also - press your vet for more answers on how contagious it is, etc.

http://cats.about.com/od/respiratory...bordetella.htm

[rainbowmoon]

hmmm.

he has no respiratory issues and never has..

the vet said it was spread through fleas..are you sure it's this the same disease?

I am confused now.

[Catubodua]

i'm not sure it's the same disease, but it's the only one i know of that ends in "tella"

[rainbowmoon]

here is the info I am currently looking at;
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1581
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/catscratch.html

[rainbowmoon]

ahh! thanks! I think it is what I posted above. The vet didn't seem real concerned just suggested we test for it. (DP took the cats in so I wasn't there he wasn't sure so just told me when he brought them home)

Originally Posted by Catubodua

i'm not sure it's the same disease, but it's the only one i know of that ends in "tella"

[rainbowmoon]

no one has had a cat with this?

[MrsMike]

Have you gotten an answer yet? You're either talking about Bartonella henselae or hemobartonella felis, also known now as mycoplasma felis. Yes, b. henselae is what causes cat scratch fever and is transmitted by fleas. Hemobartonella is transmitted by fleas as well as other blood-suckers such as flies. We saw a TON of cases of hemobart in the past few months. It is treatable for the most part. Bartonella is also treatable, with about an 80% success rate. Since this is 2 weeks later, I'm assuming you have an answer already so my post might be redundant.