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.
Actually, coccidia is very common among both felines and canines. It is thought that around a third of cats and dogs are in fact infected with the disease. However, not all of these animals will show symptoms of infection.
Coccidiosis is caused by one-celled organisms called protozoa. Acting in a similar way to other parasites, such as worms, protozoa live in the intestinal tract of cats.
However, coccidia and worms require 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. Whilst getting the incorrect medicine probably won't directly harm your pet, you will be indirectly harming them by allowing the coccidia to continue to develop.
So, how do cats become infected with coccidia? Through coming into contact with infected fecal matter. All cat stool contain immature protozoa (referred to as oocytes), which are relatively harmless until they mature in an open environment. The longer a cat stool has been to decay, the more the oocytes develop, and the more at risk cats coming into contact with it become. Another way of cats developing coccidiosis is from licking or eating protozoan infected mice.
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. Pay attention to where your pet spends most of its time. 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. Disinfect. 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. As for what disinfectant to use, find one that contains a fair amount of ammonia. Alternatively, just mix a little bleach in with some 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. Repaint. Coccidian oocytes living on the walls of your house will instantly be killed should you repaint the areas where they are.
