Cat Enteritis

Cat enteritis is more serious than simple cat diarrhea. The wall of the cat's intestine is damaged, often through bacterial or viral infection. These infections are spread in different ways. Some are spread in food, some through the air, some by close contact, some in bodily secretions and some through shared bowls, bedding etc.

The signs and severity of this disease will vary depending on the cause, but some general signs include:

• Abdominal pain. The cat may sit in a hunched position, and his abdomen may feel tense if you touch it
• Loose, watery cat diarrhea, often passed in small, frequent amounts
• Foul-smelling feces
• Bad breath
• Increased thirst
• Cat vomiting
• Lethargy and loss of appetite
• Cat dehydration

If you think your cat has enteritis, you should take him to the vet without delay. Treatment will depend on the cause and the severity of the disease. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics. If the cat is severely dehydrated, hospitalization and intravenous fluids may be required. For advice on health insurance for your cat, click here.

This is probably the best known, and undoubtedly one of the most infectious forms of cat enteritis. Some common questions and answers about this disease are listed below.

1) What causes the disease?

It's caused by a virus that attacks the cat's gut wall and white blood cells.

2) Is there a vaccination that prevents it?

Thankfully, yes. This is a nasty disease, but you can minimize the risk of your kitty getting it by having him vaccinated. It's included in the annual routine injections your vet gives your cat. The annual boosters are needed to maintain protection.

Kittens are usually given their first vaccination when they're about 9 weeks old, but they aren't fully protected until their second vaccination at around 12 weeks old. You should keep your kitten indoors until he's had both injections, and also away from cats that may pose a risk (if you have other fully vaccinated cats they are usually very low risk and therefore OK - your vet will advise you further).

3) How is it spread?

The virus is able to survive for a very long time outside the cat's body. For this reason, most cats are infected by picking up the virus from the environment - e.g. on bedding, food bowls etc. If a mother cat is infected whilst pregnant, she can infect her unborn kittens.

The virus can only be spread from cat to cat; there's no risk to other animals or to humans.

4) What are the signs?

Signs are very variable and usually depend on the age of the cat and its ability to fight the infection. Kittens usually suffer the most severe form of the disease.

Sometimes in kittens, the disease is so rapid and severe, they may die before their owner even notices there's anything wrong.

Cats that aren't affected as badly as this as will develop the disease to different extents. In the more severe form, they will usually develop severe vomiting first, followed by diarrhea. Owners often mistakenly think their cat has been poisoned. Other signs may include some or all of those listed above for cat enteritis.

In the less severe form, the cat may show mild or even no signs. In this case, the cat successfully fights the infection.

It's diagnosed by a vet looking at the outward clinical signs and by a blood test (although the blood test may not show positive in the early stages of the disease).

5) Can it be treated?

Because it's caused by a virus, there's no treatment as such - antibiotics are ineffective against it. Good nursing care is needed to prevent cat dehydration and other complications. This may be able to be done at home, or may require hospitalization in more severe cases.

6) Does it cause long-term damage?

Cats that have recovered from feline infectious enteritis may have persistent diarrhea, or may have difficulty gaining weight. This occurs due to long-term damage of the gut wall as a result of the disease.

7) My cat died from FIE. When can I get another cat or kitten?

If you're in this situation, my heart goes out to you - thankfully it's never happened to me, so I can only imagine how awful it must be.

The virus can live up to a year outside the cat's body. If you don't want to wait that long before getting another cat, it's probably safer to adopt a fully vaccinated adult cat rather than a kitten.

If you suspect your cat has any form of cat enteritis, the sooner you can get him to the vet, the better.