Anyone else feeling different towards their pets now that you have Lyme??

I have a cat that I'm pretty sure was the tick carrying culprit in my Lyme disease saga and I have to say, I really don't want him anymore. I turned him into an indoor cat since I was diagnosed which he is pretty bent out of shape about. But anyway, he got out today and I hadn't put any tick medicine on him in a bit and he was out for about 10 min. when I was finally able to catch him again, I brought him in the house put him in the sink, brushed his coat down and put his tick meds on him. But now I can't relax. I have 3 little kids and he likes to sleep with all of us and I'm so flippin' paranoid these days about ticks I need Xanax! I'm not an outdoor person, I don't walk in the woods play outside, or whatever. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility that I picked up the tick somewhere else, but when I have a cat that is leaving body parts of critters he's killed EVERY DAY, it's kind of hard to look elsewhere. I just can't enjoy him the way I used to. Maybe I'm just looking for someone to blame? I also have Bartonella which is a strain of 'cat scratch' fever which is another reason all signs are leading to him. He has scratched me in the past, especially when he was a little kitten. Anyway, just venting. But I hate living my life being so paranoid. I feel like I can't let my kids do any 'kid stuff' because I'm so freaked out they will get Lyme. I've been so grateful that it was me that got it and not them!

I would encourage you Shabbychic to try to conquer that fear. As Justme pointed out, mosquitoes, fleas, mites, bed bugs, biting flies an other insects also carry these diseases now.

As tempting as it may be to 'get rid of kitty', I hope that you never reach the point where you just have to. Your kids will be better off with the experience of having a pet to care for in my opinion. I do hope that the tick medicine that you used works for fleas as well, since they spread these diseases as well. If not, please get some flea medication as well - no reason to take chances!

Sounds like the kids aren't having much fun with this, and the cat certainly isn't to blame, even if a tick did hitchhike on him.

We have to find a healthy balance between being careful and having lives. You can tick proof your yard so they don't hang out when the kids play. There are natural repellents you can use, as well.

I'm an animal lover, with three dogs at the moment. At one point I had 5 cats and three (different) dogs. I cringe when people treat their pets as optional after making the commitment. The kids watch and learn, and I personally feel it would be a bad lesson to re-home the cat for something he has no control over. Better to teach the children commitment, love, acceptance and adaptation.

I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I cannot imagine getting rid of them. Both my dogs have Lyme, caught it in my yard. I STILL would not get rid of them(or move) I got chickens and ducks to eat the ticks :) Haven't seen but one tick since, and it was on one of the cats who leaves the yard. NO ticks on the dogs/kids. When Lyme takes so much from you, you have to fight back. Are you really going to let it take your pets too? Or, your love of nature(if you do)? I still go out in the yard/woods/etc despite the fact I am pretty sure that's how I got Lyme in the first place. I am just more aware and careful now(tick checks, etc)

When my 2 doggies were alive, they were my support system (I had no one else) and I loved them passionately.  I still miss them!

Now I have 2 cats and because they had a flea problem I had put the Frontline Plus on them and Capstar (after trying all natural remedies).  I even had an exterminator come inside to kill the flea eggs.  Fleas DO carry lyme bacteria. 

I hated to see fleas on my cats and so I gave in to the Frontline which worked fantastic!  No more fleas, no more scratching, I have 2 happy cats now.

 

Here's the problem with bringing your 'hunter' inside -whether it's a dog or a cat (we have one of each as our 'hunters'!). Then there's no one to help keep those animals that bring the ticks and fleas into the yard - out of the yard!

So unless you adopt a very strict schedule with an exterminator company, there are going to be even more ticks, fleas, mites, and so on in the yard to be carried in on our clothes/bags.

It's a catch 22 for some people, but please be aware of what can happen.

I wouldn't dream of pushing this on anyone, Shabbychic, so no worries!!! I'm glad you are keeping Kitty!! This - along with many other things about this disease - is a very personal decision to be made. Each of us must weigh the options and make our decisions for what is right for our own situation.

My hunters do well with hunting and staying inside around people and kids (I have two grandkids ages 3 & 7 months), I think it depends on the people and the pets themselves as to which ones do well with both.

Flowergal, no one is trying to figure out why dogs tests for Lyme are so quick and inexpensive and why the abx given to them work so well either!!

I have a dog who has had Lyme twice - both times he presented with a Bulls eye rash and was put on one round of abx and has never had any other symptoms!! And this is a dog that is a rescue because several large dogs attacked him and left him for dead. He had numerous and severe injuries, but has healed from them fairly well. Even getting Lyme disease twice hasn't left him with any increases in the pain he deals with for a leg that was broke in 2 places and that hip being dislocated as well! Now that's healing!!!

Even my vet jokes that the next time I get infected that I should just have them treat me!! I told them this last time that they had better not tempt me!!! LOL!!!

Traveler, in fact after we brought the cat in we do have the yard treated for ticks every few weeks. I certainly understand the eco balance has been disrupted but I cannot relax thinking a pet could bring a tick inside. I am too sick to chance getting reinfected by not being cautious. I wish I had the time/money/strength needed to pack up and move to a smaller place with no yard!

about dogs treatment, yes why can they be so successfully treated? it is so strange that we humans cannot.

I"m so glad to hear that you are having the yard treated, Flowergal! As I said though about the pets, it's a very personal decision - one that's made with careful considerations.

I do understand the not wanting to be re-infected again too! There's no way of knowing how many times I was re-infected before I started treatment, but I know one time when I was re-infected, it was so obvious when those symptoms all came on so strongly after a tick attached - by the way it was only attached for about 10 minutes before I finally located it, but there was NO doubt that I had been re-infected.

I've learned how to deal with the fear and the reality of not being infected again, and am too much of an outdoors person to stay inside or be afraid of going out for too long though! LOL! Call me goofy!!!

What's interesting is that there are lizards that have infected ticks attach and yet they never have Lyme either. Maybe we'd all be better off if we just went to the Vet to be tested and treated!! LOL!! Just kidding!! Those meds are not necessarily as high of quality as the ones for people.

That does bring up an interesting point - one I haven't had much time to investigate - yet - why do animals have an easier time of having Lyme and of healing from it? Part of it could easily be that an animal won't push themselves like we humans do - but of course there had to be more to it. It's all so interesting to me!