Coccidia In Kittens Signs

Coccidia are a group of single celled protozoa found within the intestinal lining of kittens and cats.

Coccidia in kittens signs. Kittens may start to show symptoms of coccidiosis from the ages of two weeks to six months. In kittens coccidiosis infection can cause watery and bloody diarrhea vomiting pain and dehydration followed by rapid weight loss. Coccidia are a group of microscopic parasites that can cause a disease called coccidiosis in kittens and cats. Symptoms include watery stool with mucus or blood fever and in some cats neurological problems such as depression or convulsions.

Many cats that are infected with coccidia do not have diarrhea or any other clinical signs. Infections occur in adult cats and kittens but are much more likely to cause serious disease watery or bloody diarrhea in kittens. Coccidia get grouped together with worms because they are routinely searched for in stool tests for worms fecal ova and parasite test. Symptoms of coccidiosis appear almost two weeks after the initial infection.

Watery diarrhea may contain blood. The primary symptom of a coccidial infection is watery mucous like diarrhea. Kittens are most likely to become infected and the disease can spread quickly between groups of pets. When the oocysts are found in the stool of a cat without diarrhea they are generally considered a transient insignificant finding.

If left untreated coccidiosis in symptomatic kittens can lead to death. If your cat is showing any signs of coccidiosis your veterinarian will check your cat s feces under the microscope to look for coccidia oocysts. Signs to watch for are as follows. Kittens and older cats that are stressed or have a weak immune system are more likely to be affected by coccidia 1 2.

This parasite is very tiny compared to other intestinal parasites and can be easily missed so a very thorough fecal analysis or multiple fecal analyses must be. The stress of the weaning process can leave a kitten vulnerable to developing a parasitic infection. These often cause an intestinal tract infection called coccidiosis 1 2. Our recommendation for shelters who frequently see coccidia in kittens is to treat all kittens and puppies if applicable with ponazuril once upon intake as early as 2 3 weeks of age repeating at 7 14 days and then re treating based on clinical signs and fecal exams if needed 7.