Cat’s food choice leads to parasite
Fourteen months ago, I adopted my cat from a local shelter. Following the adoption, I brought the cat to a local animal hospital for a booster vaccine and at that time, I brought in a fecal sample, which proved to be negative.
I took her in three days ago for her annual checkup along with vaccines and another fecal sample. I got a call a day later that blew me away. My vet said my cat has a parasite called a lizard poisoning fluke that can affect the liver.
The doctor also said I had to be advised and to authorize to give my cat a dose of medication much higher than is typically given, as well as bloodwork to check the liver. I’m bringing her in tomorrow for the blood test and to pick up the medication.
What can I expect? Have you ever heard of such a thing? Since my cat has been inside all year, how come the fecal test was negative last year and positive now? The parasite you describe is catspecific and called Platynosomum. It resides in the liver of the cat and is found in places that are tropical like Florida. It can lead to liver issues and I commend your veteri- narian for doing their research and advising you to have bloodwork done on your cat to check liver function, as well as discussing proper treatment. You are fortunate that your cat has been clinically well since those affected can present quite ill.
Cats get this parasite by ingesting lizards, toads, snails and a few other species that serve as what is known as an intermediate host. The reason why your cat may have tested negative a year ago and differently now is because the parasite can be shed intermittently. The drug you will probably be given is something called Praziquantel and the dosing I have researched ranges from two to six times normal dosing of the drug given for tapeworm and other parasites. Dosing is dependent on fecal egg counts so I’m sure that your veterinarian will pick the right dosage with follow-up fecal exams and possible subsequent treatments, until it is eradicated. The drug can be administered orally or in tablet form. Since I personally have not experienced treating this parasite, I cannot say exactly what you might expect but hopefully treatment will be a success. Thanks for adopting a shelter cat and this is a great example of why good diagnostics and preventive care are important.