Cats' White Blood Cell Dynamics

Whether it is a cold or cough in dogs or cats, skin diseases, surgery, or physical examinations, blood routine tests indicate the most basic conditions of the pet's body, so blood analyzers have become essential diagnostic equipment in clinics and hospitals.

Changes in red and white blood cell counts can directly reflect the health of pets. The main function of white blood cells is to protect the body from infection, resist foreign enemies, and clean up the "waste" produced by itself. The production and number of white blood cells are strictly controlled by cytokines in the blood, and white blood cells use blood vessels as a channel to tissues. Therefore, the number of phagocytes in the blood can provide an indication of the tissue/environment, and different types of white blood cells have different responsibilities.

1. Common causes of abnormal overall white blood cell counts

1. Cat stress: Very common, changes in feeding environment, fright, long-distance transportation, change of food, sudden contact with a large number of strangers/animals, etc. can cause cat stress.

Cat stress may cause (one or more)

(1) Monocytes: increase/decrease

(2) Neutrophils: increase

(3) Lymphocytes: increase/decrease

2. Common diseases in cats:

A. Causes a decrease in white blood cell count

(1) Viral infection: such as feline panleukopenia, feline herpes, cat golic, feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonitis, etc. Cat panleukopenia and feline leukemia can cause bone marrow suppression, weakened hematopoietic function, leading to anemia, and causing a decrease in cat white blood cell count.

(2) Bacterial infection: sepsis, severe salmonella infection, errichosis, etc.

(3) Parasitic infection: such as fleas, roundworms, trichomonas, coccidia, etc. Other white blood cell counts decrease, but eosinophils and/or basophils increase.

(4) Trauma: Common causes of cats being involved in car accidents, falling from heights, fighting, etc., can cause a decrease in cat white blood cell counts, especially when there is excessive bleeding.

(5) Corticosteroids used to treat arthritis in cats can inhibit leukocyte production, leading to a decrease in leukocyte count, especially lymphocyte count. In addition, sulfonamides, penicillin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, aminopyrine, and sodium salicylate can also cause a decrease in leukocyte count in cats.

B Causes an increase in leukocyte count

(1) Systemic acute/chronic inflammation: acute gastroenteritis, pneumonia, nephritis, peritonitis, pyometra, etc. in cats can cause an increase in leukocyte count, especially an increase in neutrophil count.

(2) Injection of serum or vaccines can cause an increase in leukocyte count in cats.

(3) Necrosis, burns, gangrene, etc. of any tissue in cats can cause an increase in leukocyte count in cats.

II. Causes of abnormal leukocyte count in five categories

1. Increase in monocytes: Mostly occurs in chronic infectious diseases of cats, such as pyometra, arthritis, cystitis, etc., as well as ringworm, and most diseases accompanied by granulomatous reactions; cat toxoplasmosis; cats are in the recovery period of disease, and the recovery of immune function can also lead to an increase in monocytes.

Decrease: In the early stage of acute infectious diseases in cats; cats are in the critical stage of the disease.

2. Eosinophils

Increase: cats have internal and external parasitic diseases (Toxocara catus, Toxocara lionis, heartworms, cat roundworms, cat lung flukes, fleas, ticks, mites, coccidia, toxoplasma, etc.); cats have allergies or asthma (pollen, dust mites in the environment, food or drugs, and stress can also cause allergies); cats have skin diseases such as eczema and scabies; cats are injected with adrenaline.

Decrease: cats are stressed, take corticosteroids, acute inflammation, etc. If eosinophils continue to decrease or even disappear, it indicates that the condition is serious.

3. Basophils

Basophils are mainly involved in hypersensitivity reactions, so they increase common cats' tick attacks, flea allergies, hyperlipidemia, etc.

Decrease is not clinically significant.

4. Neutrophils

As the largest cell in white blood cells, they are generally consistent with the above reasons for abnormal overall white blood cell count.

Increase: Common in acute inflammation/infection of cats; toxic diseases of cats, such as uremia, plant poisoning (lily, lily of the valley); after direct vaccination; after cats use glucocorticoids.

Decrease: viral infection (feline plague, feline leukemia, etc.); bacterial infection; toxoplasmosis infection; chemical/drug poisoning (chronic poisoning of cat cephalosporin, chloramphenicol, sulfonamide drugs, cats accidentally eating rat poison), etc.

5. Lymphocytes

Increase: chronic infection of cats (tuberculosis); viral diseases (viral enteritis); blood protozoa (Babesia); cat cancer, lymphatic leukemia, etc.

Decrease: stress, viral diseases (feline infectious peritonitis, feline leukemia, feline plague); Ehrlichia; cat toxoplasmosis; lymphoma; use of adrenocortical hormones or immunosuppressive drugs (aspirin), etc.