Tick bourne disease fatal to cats..Oklahoma area etc.

PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY ITS VERY IMPORTANT!!!
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>CYTAUXZOONOSIS
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>"Cytauxzoonosis felis is a parasite of the bloodstream. The live cycle of
>Cytauxzoon can be summarized as follows. Sporozoites in the salivary
>glands of the tick are injected into an animal along with the saliva
>during a bite. Nests of living organisms then develop within the cells
>lining the smaller blood vessels. Later, these nests occur in red blood
>cells, and finally sexual stages are found in the red blood cells. When a
>tick feeds, it ingests sexual stages from the animal and mating occurs in
>the gut of the tick. Then, within the tick, an oocystlike structure
>develops that contains sporozoites, which will eventually migrate to the
>salivary glands. When the infected tick bites another animal, the
>infection is passed along.
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>In the Unites States, it appears that wild felids, such as bobcats, are
>the usual hosts for Cytauxzoon. In these animals, it appears that the
>disease is without signs. However, when domestic cats become infected, the
>disease has a rapidly fatal course. Observed signs have included loss of
>appetite, labored breathing, lethargy, dehydration, depression, pale
>mucous membranes, and a high fever. Cats usually succumb to the disease
>within a week after signs appear.
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>At this writing, the disease is rare; it has been reported only from the
>southern Unites States and there is no successful treatment regimen."
>http://www.tica.org/vet/cytauxzoonosis.htm
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>To all Southern cat owners:
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>I lost a cat to this horrible disease a few days ago. Don't depend on the
>week, Bandit was fine and eating and sleeping with me one night and 48
>hours later he died a horrible death in my arms. I took him to the vet the
>morning before he passed and my vet Dr. Stephen Walker diagnosed him with
>this disease and gave him some shots that he said could be effective. I
>have known this man since I was 12 years old and he has worked many a
>miracle for my pets and I knew from the sad and scared look in his eyes
>that "could be effective" was one hell of an unlikely event. He showed me
>the signs and those are not listed so I will give them to you here: yellow
>tint in the whites of the eyes, inside the mouth, and the inside of the
>ears, these can be indicative of many diseases but he said that what
>proved that they were because of this disease was the wide vacant stare.
>Watch your cats carefully, I can't stand the thought of another cat going
>through what Bandit did or another owner experiencing the horrible,
>helpless, and terrified feelings I felt. This disease is an opportunist it
>will strike when a cat is stressed, such as neutering as in Bandit's case.
>Dr. Walker said he had seen more cases of this disease so far this season
>then he ever has and it scares him. He has been a vet for at least 20
>years in this same rural area of Oklahoma. I don't know if this is a local
>epidemic or if this is true of other areas in the South. It can be passed
>from cat to cat but only if a tick bites the infected cat and then bites
>another cat. I beg you, if you live in this area of the world call your
>vet or call mine: Stephen Walker 405-257-6167, 201 W. Park, Wewoka, Ok,
>Ask questions, find out all you can!

Goodness, this sounds scary!! Use to be our cats were safe inside or out..