Anaemia in Cats: Causes and Treatment
Anaemia can have various causes. It can also come in different forms and can be fatal if not treated in time.
As a cat owner, you should therefore know how to recognise anaemia in your cat so that you and your cat friend can visit a vet as soon as possible.
What causes anaemia in cats and the different types of anaemia that veterinarians distinguish between are explained below. We will also explain which symptoms in your cat may indicate anaemia.
What is anaemia?
If your cat is anaemic, it means that the concentration of haemoglobin, or haematocrit, is falling below normal. In English, anaemia is therefore often simply called anaemia.
Haemoglobin is the protein that is part of the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and is responsible for oxygen transport. Hematocrit is the proportion of red blood cells in the total volume of the blood. Normally this is 99 percent.
The lower the number of erythrocytes in the blood of the cat, the more the capacity for oxygen transport is limited. This leads to an insufficient supply of oxygen to the organs and can be fatal in the worst case.
Recognising anaemia in cats
Anaemia is not a real disease, but only the symptom of an existing health problem.
Nevertheless, anaemia is very noticeable and there can be a number of symptoms:
- Shortness of breath.
- An increased heartbeat.
- Fatigue and exhaustion.
- The mucous membranes are noticeably pale.
- The cat gets tired more quickly than before after being active.
Cats with anaemia may have several other symptoms. The symptoms depend on the exact cause of the anaemia.
Causes and forms of anaemia in cats
Anaemia in cats can have many different causes: it can be caused by an injury or an infestation with parasites or it can be the symptom of a cat disease.
There are three different types of anaemia, each of which can be caused by one or more factors.
Anaemia in cats due to severe blood loss
The most obvious cause of anaemia is without doubt a severe blood loss. Even if the cat’s body would be producing new red blood cells, it’s of course not able to compensate for a very high loss of blood.
An anaemia due to blood loss can be caused by an injury. However, internal bleeding after the consumption of rat poison can also be responsible.
The haemolytic anaemia of the cat
In case of haemolytic anaemia, the body of the cat produces too few red blood cells, so that destroyed red blood cells cannot be replaced in sufficient quantity.
Haemolytic anaemia can be caused by autoimmune diseases or a bacterial infection, among other things. In addition, this form of anaemia can also be caused by various cat parasites.
Non-regenerative anaemia in cats
With this form of anaemia, your cat's bone marrow is not able to produce a sufficient amount of red blood cells. This is also known as non-regenerative anaemia.
The possible triggers for this form of anaemia in cats are numerous. Among others, FIP infection, tumours, iron deficiency, damage to the spinal cord and kidney disease in cats are among the possible causes.
Diagnosis and treatment of anaemia in cats
Considering the serious consequences and the sometimes very serious causes, it probably goes without saying that a cat with anaemia is a case for the veterinarian.
Should you fear that your quadruped suffers from anaemia, a timely visit to a veterinarian is therefore essential. To check your suspicion, the vet will measure the concentration of red blood cells (haematocrit).
In addition, the next step is to determine the cause of your cat's anaemia. To do this, depending on the underlying disease, a number of different tests may be necessary, such as further blood tests, taking tissue samples or even imaging diagnostic procedures.
The same applies to the treatment of anaemia. Depending on the trigger, this may require the administration of medication, surgery or a blood transfusion.
Prognosis for cats with anaemia
What the prognosis for a cat with anemia is, cannot be said in general. While some basic diseases can be easily controlled, others may not be easily cured.
So the chances of curing your cat of an anaemia depend on the trigger and the time of diagnosis.
Preventing anaemia in cats
Basically, you must assume that you cannot completely protect your cat from anaemia. There are simply too many possible causes for anaemia.
However, there are some things you can do to help your cat's health and reduce the risk of anaemia.
The following measures are particularly important in this regard:
- In general, make sure that your cat is fed an appropriate diet with a good cat food.
- Have important vaccinations given to your cat regularly.
- Deworm your quadruped regularly with I love my cat Vermal.
- Protect your cat from ticks and the diseases they transmit.
- Support normal kidney function with I love my cat Kidney Power.
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