Cat scratch fever.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear about your son. I had something similar happen to me years ago when I was a student and had a bad cat bite. I healed just fine but was on antibiotics for a while.

You're right...cat scratch fever is caused by a bacteria called Bartonella.

Unfortunately there is no accurate way to test a cat to see if they are likely to spread Bartonella. You can test a cat for Bartonella but up to 20% of cats will naturally have the bacteria. Just having the bacteria doesn't mean that they are likely to spread it. Also, a lot of the tests that can be used to test for Bartonella can have false positives and false negatives. They are very unreliable.

One good thing to know is that most cats that get Bartonella do not tend to be lifelong carriers. So, if Zeus did get the bacteria (via a bite from the new kitten) then there is a good chance that he will eventually clear the bacteria and not be a threat to anyone. Unfortunately though, as mentioned above there is no way for us to know what could happen.

Another way that Bartonella can be spread is by fleas. Be certain that neither of the cats have fleas as flea bites can spread the bacteria.

I wish there was a way that you could know for certain that Zeus will not be a carrier. There are some vets that say, "Well, let's test him and if he is negative then you can feel better." But, what if it's a false negative? What if it's positive? Does that mean you get rid of him? Either way the tests are not helpful.

The odds are in your favor that Zeus will be ok and that you don't need to worry about this again, but no one can say for sure. To go back to my experience, I can tell you that when I was originally infected by a cat bite that was about 20 years ago. I have had *many* bites since then and have not had a serious infection from any of them.

I hope that helps and I pray that your son recovers quickly!

Dr. Marie.


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