Bengal Cat health questions.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi there...I'm sorry to hear that you have been going through these problems! This is a tough one for me to answer for you. I'll do my best, however to give you some ideas.

It sounds like with your other cat your vets were worried about hemobartonella (also known as mycoplasma felis) which is a blood parasite that can cause anemia (low red cells). Sometimes this can be hard to pick up on blood tests. Often hemobartonella comes from having fleas, so if your cats have had fleas in the past then this can definitely be a consideration. Hemobartonella is not usually fatal unless it goes untreated long enough to cause severe anemia. So, if this is indeed hemobart then starting the treatment (enrofloxacin) now should really help.

Do you know if your cats have been tested for feline leukemia and FIV? These viruses can cause the blood value problems that you are seeing. Hopefully this is not the case as we do not have a cure for these viruses.

In certain areas of the world, ticks can carry diseases that can cause high white cells and low red cells. Most tick-borne diseases are treated with enrofloxacin.

Does your cat have any obvious ulcers on her tongue? There is a strain of calicivirus going around that is quite serious. Calici usually causes very obvious ulcers on the tongue/mouth.

I know it is expensive, but I would definitely urge you to get some bloodwork done for this kitty just to confirm that you are indeed seeing the same thing. It is possible that there is something else going on.

I hope everything is ok!

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