Anemia in cats – Symptoms and treatment

Although cats and dogs are very different companion animals, the truth is that a cat needs, just like a dog, veterinary attention, adequate food, company, time and as much dedication as we can provide.

The reason is that our responsibility as owners is that our cat enjoys a full state of health and wellbeing, both physical, psychic and social, and this happens by informing us about several diseases that may affect our cat.

Discover in this post some of the symptoms and treatment of anemia in cats, so you know what is this disease, how it manifests and how we should act before it.

What is anemia?

The term anemia means medically lack of any element in the blood and it is a disease that humans can also suffer. There are two types of anemia that can affect our feline.

When we talk about anemia in cats, this condition is defined by a decreased number of Red blood cells in the blood, being these globules the cells responsible for transporting oxygen to nourish the tissues and carbon dioxide until it is eliminated through respiration.

As we will see below, anemia can be caused by many factors, but all of them will result in a decrease in red blood cells and hemoglobin, which is the pigment responsible for the uptake and transport of oxygen.

Causes of anemia in cats

Among the Main causes of anemia in cats we must highlight the following:

• Loss of blood due to external or internal hemorrhage
• Autoimmune disease
• Viral infection
• Renal disease
• Cancer
• Adverse reaction to drugs

Symptoms of anemia in cats

As mentioned previously, red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen, therefore, in case of anemia, the tissues that make up our cat’s organism they will not receive enough oxygen, this condition manifested mainly through lethargy, fatigue and low tolerance to physical exercise.

However, other symptoms that may indicate anemia are the following:

• Decreased appetite
• Weight loss
• Pale mucous membranes

How is anemia diagnosed in cats?

To diagnose anemia in cats we mainly have two analytical tests that are performed through a blood draw and subsequent study of this sample:

• Hematocrit: It will indicate the volume of red blood cells present in the blood of the cat, determining if this range is normal or if on the contrary it corresponds to a state of anemia:
• Hemogram: Also known as complete blood count, this analysis gives us information about all the elements of the blood, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Obviously it is not enough to diagnose anemia but rather It will be a priority to establish the cause, for this, the veterinarian will take into account the patient’s clinical history, all the symptoms he presents, perform a complete physical examination and must also rule out the presence of viral diseases such as leukemia.

Treatment of anemia in cats

The treatment of anemia will depend mainly on the cause and in the case of being in the presence of severe anemia, it may be necessary to blood transfusion to restore red blood cell levels.

This therapeutic tool will be taken into account not only when the anemia is severe but also when it is caused by some type of hemorrhage, sometimes, several blood transfusions may be necessary until the animal’s own organism is able to synthesize new healthy red blood cells.

The other therapeutic tools that can be used will depend on the underlying cause and the treatment should be oriented in eliminate or treat the causative factor of anemia.

Can anemia in cats be prevented?

Some of the causes of anemia are unpredictable and their prevention can be difficult, however, if we can use several measures to help us maintain the welfare of our cat and to prevent this disease to the greatest extent possible:

• Try to keep your cat inside the home to avoid transmission of infectious diseases, if your cat has contact with the outside, consult your veterinarian which vaccines are suitable for the prevention of these diseases
• Deworm your cat frequently
• Make sure your cat follows a healthy and balanced diet and remains alert to any change in habits

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Anemia in cats – Symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter in our section of Cardiovascular Diseases.