What Should You Expect If Your Cat Is Anemic?

Cats can experience anemia for a variety of reasons. Injuries that cause blood loss are a common cause, but there are also diseases like kidney disease that can cause anemia to develop from the inside out. If your cat is anemic, it's important to seek treatment as soon as possible from a pet hospital. They have the facilities and training necessary to get your kitty feeling like themselves again. Here's what you can likely expect when you bring in your cat for this condition.

Iron

When cats have mild anemia, it's very common for vets to treat them by providing them with an injection of iron. Iron is the same mineral found in meat and certain vegetables, and it's essential to building new red blood cells in the body. All red blood cells eventually die or are destroyed, and without adequate replacements, the body becomes anemic. Having enough iron will help your cat's body to start building healthy new red blood cells. However, this treatment won't automatically make your cat feel better, as it takes time for those red blood cells to fully develop. If your cat has moderate to severe anemia, this may still be a treatment step, but it definitely won't be the last.

Blood Transfusion

When a cat has moderate to severe anemia, blood is often the solution. Like humans, cats are able to receive blood transfusions from other cats. In most cases, blood banks for pets aren't available. However, since pet hospitals deal with severe illness, they either have pets on-site available for transfusions or are in contact with donor pet parents who are willing to bring in their pets to give blood when it's needed.

Like with humans, this process takes some time. It's important to test your cat's blood to ensure that they get blood that matches their own. Once they start to receive the transfusion, they should start to perk up right away. Having more blood makes it easier for oxygen to circulate, which makes the whole body feel better. However, they probably won't be coming home the same day.

Monitoring

When a cat has been severely anemic, especially when there isn't an external cause like blood loss from an injury, it's a good idea to monitor them. Your pet hospital will be able to do this, typically overnight. They'll watch your cat's vitals and behavior to ensure that they're responding well to the treatment. A new blood test will also be utilized to ensure that they're back at a healthy red blood cell count. If there are still problems, that may indicate that there's an issue like an internal bleed that needs to be treated. However, you can rest easy knowing that your local pet hospital will do everything in its power to get your kitty back to normal.

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