The Danger Of Feline Coccidia

Abdominal pains, vomiting, dehydration and watery stool are all signs that a cat is suffering from feline coccidiosis. All cats are at risk from this unfortunate disease, though kittens and debiliated cats are the most common sufferers.

Coccidia is not actually just a cat ailment, dogs can also be affected. It is thought that around a third of cats and dogs are in fact infected with the disease. They don’t, however, all show signs of having contracted it.

Protozoa, which are one celled organisms, are the cause of coccidiosis. Acting in a similar way to other parasites, such as worms, protozoa live in the intestinal tract of cats.

However, though the symptoms of worms and coccidia are similar, the conditions must be cured using different treatments. You should therefore take your cat to a veterinarian for a diagnosis before proceeding with any treatment, to ensure that you get the correct medicine.

So, how do cats become infected with coccidia? Coccidia are transferred via fecal matter. Oocytes, which are immature protozoa, reside in cat stool and mature in the open environment. Once they mature, they may infect the cat once again. Cats may also acquire coccidiosis from eating mice infected with the protozoan.

There are various things that, as a pet owner, you can do reduce the risk of your cat or dog getting coccidia. You should:

1. Keep basic sanitation for catteries and kennels. You should make sure your catteries and kennels are tidy and well-maintained. Dispose of stool as soon as possible so that the risk of the coccidian spreading is lessened.

2. Use disinfectants. Before doing this, you may want to move your pets to a different location for the time being. You don’t want your pets to inhale the potentially harmful fumes from disinfectants. You may then spray the area with a disinfectant that contains a considerable amount of ammonia or a little bleach mixed with a good amount of water.

3. Not ignore the cleaning of crevices and other hard to reach areas. You should pay close attention to them as many forms of parasites ? oocytes notwithstanding, could make their home there.

4. Consider repainting. Repainting the area where your pets live could help destroy coccidian oocytes where they mature.