ANEMIA IN WEST AUSTRALIAN CATS - PREVALENCE, PATTERNS AND CAUSES

Anaemia in cats is frequently encountered by veterinarians, but there are no comprehensive published data for the Australian situation, and the aetiology and pathogenesis often go unrecognised. In a study under taken to determine the frequency, aetiology and mechanisms of anaemia in cats within Western Australia, of a total of 506 cats, 108 were fou nd to be anaemic (21%). Potential causes or mechanisms for the anaemia could be found in 95 cats, but in many cases more than one cause or m echanism was evident. Cats with feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feli ne immunodeficiency virus (FIV) were highly likely to be anaemic. Freq uently occurring significant mechanisms included acute serum iron depl etion and bone marrow dysfunction, often as a result of neoplasia. Hae mobartonella felis infection, chronic iron deficiency, Heinz body form ation and haemolysis occurred infrequently. Additionally, neither iron sequestration of chronic disease nor azotaemia were directly associat ed with anaemia in these cats. Given that either a cause or a mechanis m for anaemia was identified in 86% of anaemic cats using readily avai lable diagnostic procedures, including tests for FeLV and FIV, the pra ctising veterinarian should achieve a similar result. There is, howeve r, the prospect that the anaemia in many cats is the result of bone ma rrow abnormalities and, as such, are of an irreversible nature.