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Old September 12th, 2012, 06:17 AM
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Myka Myka is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Saskatoon, SK.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kovarr View Post
Unfortunately, what the cat has is something called hemobart which makes it unadoptable for the vet clinic because apparently it is very contagious for the rest of it's life?
Haemobartonella is an infectious parasite that attaches to red blood cells. The body tries to kill the parasite, thus killing the red blood cells which causes chronic anemia. Therefore, it is a type of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). It is infectious mostly in the same ways that human HIV is (through blood). It seems to be questionable if humans can get infected with Haemobartonella - some sources say no, but others are saying recent evidence says yes.

If the cat does indeed have Haemobartonella, the vet should be willing to euthanize the cat in my opinion since the treatment is often a long, expensive process. People euthanize dogs and cats with broken legs, and the treatment for Hemobart can definitely be just as expensive. Plus, the cat will usually still be a carrier for the rest of its life.

http://www.cat-world.com.au/haemobar...ctious-anaemia
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Last edited by Myka; September 12th, 2012 at 06:40 AM.
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