What flea diseases cause cat lethargy, fever, and anemia symptoms?

Hello. You should take the kitten in to be evaluated as soon as possible. Fleas do carry diseases that can infect cats & kittens, & if there are enough fleas, can actually cause anemia. If the kitten has not been wormed, then the presence of intestinal parasites such as roundworms can weaken a kitten further. Other infections/conditions are possible, so I do hope you can have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

While fleas may simply seem like a nuisance, the reality is that they can pose serious problems. Heavy flea infestations, particularly in very small animals, can result in significant blood loss, which causes potentially lethal anemia. Fleas can also transmit a variety of diseases, including cat scratch disease (*Bartonella henselae*) and tapeworms (*Dipylidium caninum*). Many pets are allergic to the saliva injected during a flea’s bite, and can develop severe itching, hair loss and skin infections. Fortunately, most cases of fleas can be both treated and prevented at home with the consistent use of good-quality flea preventative medications. It’s important to remember to use a flea preventative that is labeled and safe for cats. Some flea preventives for dogs are not safe for cats. Some examples of over-the-counter products that are labeled for cats include Cheristin for Cats, Capstar for Cats, Advantage II, and Frontline Plus for cats. Other products such as Comfortis for Cats, AdvantageMulti for cats and Revolution for cats are available with a prescription from your veterinarian. However, more severely affected cats require evaluation and treatment by a veterinarian. If left untreated, flea infestations in cats can also impact human health with the possibility of spreading cat scratch disease, plague or typhus. Ultimately, it is best to avoid fleas altogether with the regular use of a good quality flea preventative medication. ### Cheristin is a trademark of Elanco or its affiliates.

Poor Jasper! In addition to antibiotics, I would start Jasper on an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to help with the fever, if they have not already done so, since his kidney values are normal. It does happen occasionally that we see a cat that is obviously experiencing symptoms of a severe infection or inflammatory response, but we are unable to locate the source of the infection. If abdominal radiographs and ultrasound were not done, this is something additional that could potentially help discover the source of the infection. At this point, make sure he is eating, get the antibiotics into him, ask for pain medication like an nsaid (metacam, onsiar, etc.) or an opiate (buprenorphine) if they didn't send you with one, and give him time. Best of luck!

No, that is very unlikely. A severe infestation of fleas can cause anemia, and if Corbin had a number of fleas prior to using the flea and tick treatments that could lead to the anemia. Anemia can also be caused by kidney failure and cancer, both of which are unfortunately common in senior cats. I would have Corbin seen by a vet for a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, complete blood count, and urinalysis. The cause of the anemia needs to be diagnosed so he can be treated.

I would start by treating the fleas. Fleas can be extremely aggravating and cause some pets to have weird changes in behavior. With large infestations of fleas, they can also cause anemia, which can cause profound lethargy. Other causes of lethargy can range from internal medical illness (diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease), infection, pain from arthritis, etc. I would recommend that you have Blu rechecked by her vet to look into these possible causes. The vet may recommend bloodwork to see how things are going inside of her body.

Those black spots could be flea dirt or areas of yeast as well. The bald spots could be from skin irritation, self trauma from itching or even another infection called ringworm. The lethargy is concerning as usually Advantage does not cause that change. However fleas can cause anemia even in adult cats as well as transmit bacterial infections that can make a cat very sick. If Mama remains lethargic she needs to get checked out by a veterinarian, sooner if her gums are pale or discolored.

Julius likely also needs to be wormed. In order to make sure he is ok I suggest you take him to your vet for an exam. You say he has white gums: this is a sign of anemia which would be the reason for him to be so tired. Make sure you feed him a good quality kitten food, and get a flea preventive medication for him to kill all the fleas on him as well as in his environment. If he is at least 5 weeks old you can use frontline spray. On the photos I can also see that he has discharge from the eyes which may point to an upper respeiratory infection. Your vet can help with that as well with some antibiotics, if indicated.