ticks in Australia

[Melissa072]

Hi all,
I was watching  a show on telly tonight called R.S.P.C.A. where they go help animals in need etc.
And one story caught my eye of a cat that was parrellised due to a tick.
The lady pulled the  fat tick of the cat and they took him back to the surgery and give the cat a needle, 24 hours later the cat was fine. The cat was motionless, had its tongue hanging out of its mouth, and had no use of its legs, and its breathing was rapid when they found him.
If this tick can parrellise an animal, here in Australia, I can't understand why we don't have Lymes here, and what it did to the cat, is it similar to this Lymes disease you can get in America?

[Melissa072]

Thanks
I will definately check out that site.

Melissa

[Momzilla]

Hey, Doc~

I'm sure you understand that it isn't just any tick that will produce Lyme disease after having bitten someone.  You know that they are deer ticks that have been infected, and hence carry the disease.  I'm sorry about the cat.  My goodness!  But there's no way to tell if the tick that latched onto kitty infected the cat with Lyme or something else.  (Not saying it can't have been Lyme!)

I found a site that says Lyme was first documented in Australia in 1980.  I just can't believe that with all the traveling and shipping and flights that circle our globe that Lyme  can be ruled out completely in ANY area.  Here's the site:

http://home.goulburn.net.au/~shack/lyme.htm

Take care,

Zilla*