Understanding Anemia in Cats: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

What is anemia in cats? Anemia or anæmia/anaemia literally means without blood. An anemic cat is a cat that has a reduced number of red blood cells or hemoglobin or both. Anemia in cat is a not a disease in itself, but rather, a result of another disease process that is occurring in the cat.

An owner may recognize anemia in older cats and in cats in general by the lack of pink in the gums of the cat or from the behavior of the cat, which is usually very tired and listless. Also, if you happen to let your cat outdoors, you might notice an odd behavior of licking rain water or melted snow. They are craving minerals if they are anemic, and try to acquire such minerals from those sources.

If your cat has pale gingiva (gums) and lethargy, more than likely your vet will want to do some bloodwork on your cat to have a look at the red blood cell count. The three tests that your vet can do to see if your cat is anemic are:

• packed cell volume (PCV)
• red blood cell count
• the hemoglobin count

The most common test is the PCV test. In this test, your vet will take your cat’s blood and place it in a centrifuge, which will separate the red blood cells from the plasma. 25%-45% of a cat’s normal blood will be red blood cells. If there is less than 25%, then your cat is considered anemic.

There are other tests that your vet may want to perform once the red blood cell count test is done. They mainly involve the testing of bone marrow. The bone marrow creates and produces red blood cells. So, these tests help a vet determine if the bone marrow is doing what it should be doing. Those include:

• blood smear
• reticulocyte count
• bone marrow biopsy or aspirate
• biochemical profile and urinalysis
• fecal exam

Beyond bone marrow, your vet may want to do the following tests check organ functions and electrolyte levels, or parasite levels.

• biochemical profile and urinalysis
• fecal exam

Lastly, your vet may want to check your cat for the following diseases, as they are historically known to cause anemia in cats:

• feline leukemia virus
• feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)

There are other reasons for anemia in cats, however. That is why so many tests are required—to determine which of these diseases might be causing the anemia. Your vet will probably have a better idea of what test to perform based on the age and condition of your cat.

• Diseases that cause blood loss
  • Trauma or injury that severs blood vessels or internal organs
  • Parasites (fleas, hookworms, and ticks)
  • Tumors of the intestinal tract, kidneys, and urinary bladder
• Diseases that prevent proper clotting of blood
• Diseases that cause red blood cell breakdown (hemolysis)
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Blood parasites
  • Chemicals or toxins
  • The Feline Leukemia Virus
  • Neoplasia (cancer)
• Diseases that decrease the production of red blood cells
  • Any severe, chronic disease
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Chemicals or toxins
  • The Feline Leukemia Virus
  • The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
  • Neoplasia (cancer)
• Very poor nutrition or nutritional imbalances

How to increase red blood cells in cats?

If you have a cat with anemia, there are some things that you can do to increase the red blood cell count for them. If it is a severe case, your cat will more than likely have a blood transfusion, which might be performed right after the results of the blood sample are in. The reason for this quick process is to make sure the cat is stabilized while the more tests can be done to understand why this is happening.

Other options include:

• Iron or Vitamin B Supplement for mild to moderate anemia (below 30% red blood cells)
• Anabolic Steroids – if the anemia is not too severe
• Erythropoietin or Epogen, Eprex or Procrit
• Darpepoetin Alpha (Aranesp) – which The Feline CRF site says has a lower risk of reaction than Epogen/Procrit and is the ESA of choice
• Feline Erythropoietin
• Blood Transfusions

More than likely, in an older cat, like Rags, there is chronic kidney/renal failure and therefore the kidneys are no longer producing the needed erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells.

To learn more about anemia in older cats, especially cats with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), please visit this very informative website, complete with references and links to formal studies on renal failure: TANYA’S FELINE CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE

This page is included on Floppycats.com to educate owners about anemia in cats. It is not here to replace veterinary advice, but rather to supplement it with explanations and options. Always consult a veterinarian before starting any regimen on your cat.

Do you have suggestions to improve the information on this page? If so, please send Floppycats.com an email and let us know!

Additional Cat Kidney Information on Floppycats.com:

• Cat Kidney Failure
• Cat Kidney Stone
• Cat Enema
• Cat Not Drinking Water
• Cat Drinking Too Much Water
• Cat Food
• Kidney Disease Cat Food
• Administering Fluids
• Anemia in Cats