What is Feline Infectious Anemia and what does it do to the cat?
Feline Infectious Anemia (FIA) is a blood disease of cats caused by Hemobartonella felis (H. felis). H. felis attaches to the cat’s red blood cells. When the immune system detects this abnormality, it destroys the blood cells. This results in the cat having a shortage of red blood cells, which is the same as being anemic. How does a cat get FIA? We are not sure of the means of transmission of FIA. There is speculation that it can be passed from one cat to another by insects that can carry blood; fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes have been considered potential vectors (carriers) of the parasite between cats. None of these have been proven. How is FIA diagnosed? The presence of H. felis on a few red blood cells does not mean that the cat has Feline Infectious Anemia. In fact, H. felis is commonly found on the red blood cells of normal cats. In almost all cases of FIA, the cat has encountered another disease or another form of stress. This state of debilitation then triggers H. felis and allow
