The toxoplasmosis in cats is an infection that is due to the T. gondii or Toxoplasma gondii parasite. This is one of the more common parasitic illnesses and is well known to affect closely all the warm-blooded humans and animals, yet cats are the main living host.
In the actual fact, this parasite completes its own lifecycle in the cats. Felines are the only mammals that this parasites is passed into the feces, as well as into the environment, as part of the life cycle. Nonetheless, contact with the raw meat, as well as unwashed produce is very significant as well and are a known source of the human infection.
Get to learn more about this feline condition –read on to this article!
Toxoplasmosis in Cats: What is this feline condition?
Though all of the warm-blooded animals may be intermediate hosts of this particular disease, only the cats are the definite hosts. This just means that the parasite may only produce its eggs when infecting a certain cat. Moreover, the parasite may multiply in the intestine, as well as yield millions of eggs that may hen exit the cat’s body through the feces. Further, these eggs will start to exit 3 to 10 days after the infection has happened and keep on going and exit for the an additional10 to 14 days afterwards.
The T. gondii or Toxoplasma gondii –a single-celled parasite may cause the infection in almost all warm-blooded animals. Further, this disease is often referred to as the toxoplasmosis. Even though it is present in 20 to 60 percent of the cats, it just manifests itself as vital disease in rarer cases. The cats with immune system deficiencies, as well as the young kittens are the most vulnerable to the condition.
Causes of Cat Toxoplasmosis
In order to develop and get infected with toxoplasmosis in cats, the feline should come in contact with the T. gondii or its eggs. These eggs might live for about 18 months or longer in the soil or in the water. The more common causes of the exposure may include:
- Sharing litter box with a cat infected by the condition
- Drinking contaminated water
- A scratch or bite from a cat that is infected
- Hunting small mammals
- Eating raw meats that are infected with T. gondii
- Getting contact with the parasites outdoors
Symptoms of Cat Toxoplasmosis
The T. gondii infection has the tendency to affect a lot of parts of the body. This includes the neural system, the muscles, and the liver of the cat. Some of the possible symptoms of toxoplasmosis in cats include:
- Pneumonia
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Hepatitis, which causes jaundice
- Incontinence
- Muscle pain
- Sensitivity to touch
- Loss of coordination
- Seizures
- Ear twitching
- Paralysis
- Pressing the head against the wall
- Circling
- Changes in the personality
- Blindness
- Abnormal pupils
- Inflammation of the eyes
- Difficulty in eating
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Lethargy
- Fever
Prognosis of Cat Toxoplasmosis
The vet may need the complete health history of the cat before attempting any prognosis. They’ll be assessing all the symptoms that are present in the cat and compare all of them with the symptoms of the condition. Although the eggs of the parasite are often present in the feces, it is commonly not tested because of the results mimicking a lot other parasitic infections.
Additionally, a laboratory test may commonly be performed, in order to measure the antibodies in the cat. IgM and IgG are both antibodies, which form in the blood after the T. gondii infection. If a lot of IgG antibodies are present, the cat has most probable developed resistance to the parasite. On the other hand, if there are lot of IgM antibodies, the cat will currently be infected and is most likely to dispel eggs. If there are no antibodies present, the cat may be is vulnerable to the infection, yet isn’t diseased at this time.
One more test, which might be done is the microscopic examination of the tissue impression smears. These examinations look for the distinctive pathological changes and the early stages of the tachyzoite development.
Treatments for Cat Toxoplasmosis
There is currently no proven treatment for toxoplasmosis in cats. The only available treatment is those that help in slowing down the infection process, as well as help the cat in treating the phases of the infection.
Various antibiotics may be prescribed in disabling the parasitic infection progression. Vets often prescribe Clindamycin to spread the T. gondii organisms. Sulfadiazine or trimethoprim sulphonamide, together with Pyrimethamine, may be ordered, in order to stop the reproduction of T. gondii. Further, the antibiotics are immediately given and are taken up until, at least some symptom-free days have already passed. If there are no improvement seen in 3 consecutive days, rediagnosis might be essential.
Most of the cats respond auspiciously to these certain treatments. Once again, the young cats and cats that has immune suppression ha the tendency to fare shoddier. 7
