Can Dogs and Cats Get Lyme Disease? | Tick Risks Explained

When you find a tick on your dog, your mind might jump to Lyme disease right away. But what if you find one on your cat? Many pet owners assume the risk is the same for both species. The truth is more surprising and depends heavily on your pet’s biology.

Dogs can indeed get Lyme disease from infected black-legged ticks, and it can cause real health problems like lameness and kidney damage. Cats, however, are a completely different story — the bacteria can infect them, but the disease has never been seen in a cat outside of a laboratory setting. This article explains the difference and what you need to watch for in each pet.

How Dogs Get Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. It’s transmitted to animals through the bite of an infected tick, most commonly the deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick.

Ticks don’t jump or fly. They wait at the tips of grass and bushes and crawl onto a passing animal or person. That means your dog picks up ticks simply by brushing against vegetation during walks or time in the yard.

Only about 5 to 10 percent of infected dogs actually develop clinical signs of Lyme disease. And when symptoms do appear, they typically show up two to five months after the bite — making the cause easy to overlook.

Why Cats Are a Different Story

If you’ve ever found a tick on your cat, you may have worried about Lyme disease. The common assumption is that if a tick-borne illness can affect dogs, it must affect cats too. But feline biology seems to handle this bacteria differently.

• Possible infection, unlikely illness: The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi can infect cats, but the disease has never been documented in a cat outside of a controlled lab experiment.
• No confirmed cases: Cornell University’s Feline Health Center states that Lyme disease is a potential but unlikely problem for cats, with zero confirmed clinical cases.
• Why cats resist is unclear: The exact reason isn’t known, but it may involve a more effective feline immune response that clears the spirochete early.
• Still use tick prevention: Even though Lyme isn’t a real threat for cats, ticks can carry other diseases (like cytauxzoonosis) that are dangerous, so year-round prevention matters.
• Cats can bring ticks indoors: An infested cat can carry ticks into your home, potentially exposing people and dogs to the same environment.

So if you find a tick on your cat, there’s no need to panic about Lyme — but do remove it carefully and talk to your vet about broader tick protection.

Recognizing Lyme Disease in Dogs

The most common sign of Lyme disease in dogs is intermittent lameness — your dog may limp on one leg for a few days, then switch to limping on a different leg entirely. That shifting pattern is a key clue. Other signs include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and painful swollen joints.

Because symptoms are easy to mistake for arthritis or an injury, many cases go unnoticed. Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center provides a detailed overview of these signs in its Lyme disease unlikely cats guide, emphasizing how the disease behaves differently across species.

If your dog shows any of these signs and lives in a tick-prone area, a simple blood test can check for exposure. Early diagnosis makes treatment more straightforward.

Treatment and Prevention Steps

Lyme disease in dogs is typically treated with a 30-day course of the antibiotic doxycycline. Most dogs respond well and recover fully. But a small percentage develop Lyme nephritis, a severe kidney complication that requires more intensive care and carries a guarded prognosis.

1. Get a vet diagnosis: A blood test (the C6 ELISA or Western blot) confirms exposure. Your vet will decide if treatment is needed based on symptoms.
2. Start doxycycline promptly: The standard course is 30 days. Follow the full schedule even if your dog seems better earlier.
3. Monitor kidney function: If your dog has swollen joints or protein in the urine, your vet may check for Lyme nephritis and recommend additional support.
4. Use year-round tick prevention: Products like oral or topical tick preventives are the first line of defense. Many vets recommend them every month, even in colder months in warmer regions.
5. Consider the Lyme vaccine: The vaccine is available for dogs and recommended for those living in or traveling to high-risk areas. It’s not 100% effective but adds an extra layer of protection.

Recurrence or reinfection is possible — the initial Lyme infection can come back, or a new tick bite can introduce the bacteria again. That’s why prevention matters long after treatment ends.

Environmental Management for Tick Control

Beyond vaccines and preventive products, reducing ticks in your immediate environment is a critical strategy. Ticks thrive in tall grass, leaf litter, and wooded edges — places your dog encounters daily. Virginia Tech’s College of Veterinary Medicine has emphasized environmental tick management as one of the most practical ways to lower exposure risk.

Combining these approaches gives your dog the best protection. Remember that people in the same household can be exposed to ticks too, so whole-family tick checks after outdoor time are a smart habit.

The Bottom Line

Dogs can and do get Lyme disease from infected tick bites, though only a small fraction develop symptoms. Cats, on the other hand, are nearly immune to the actual illness — the bacteria may infect them, but confirmed disease is essentially nonexistent outside the lab. For dogs, prompt treatment with doxycycline and year-round tick prevention are your best tools.

Your veterinarian is your best partner in deciding whether your dog’s lifestyle and region call for a Lyme vaccine or a specific tick preventive. If you live in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, or any area where deer ticks are common, a quick conversation with your vet can tailor a plan that fits your pet’s exact risk.