Why is my cat weak with low red blood cells and high white cells?

It can be indicative of an immune problem, but can occur for various other reasons. I would have it checked again in a few weeks in case it was just transient, also confirming a low wbc count on a microscope is a good idea as machines can get it wrong. Maybe your vet already did this though.

This is only a CBC test result. The white count is low and it is mostly low from not enough lymphocytes. My suspicion would be a virus or cancer. Viral infections are the most common cause of a low white blood cell count in cats. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) are two such viruses. These viruses invade the white blood cells and use them to make copies of themselves, increasing the virus’ strength and reducing the number of white blood cells. Other possibilities include: * Bacterial infections. These infections can range from abscesses to respiratory infections to sepsis. Essentially, any infection or inflammation causes a drop in white blood cells, particularly neutrophils. HER DROP IS LYMPHOCYTES, not neutrophils so I think this is less likely. * Bone marrow diseases, or the panleukopenia virus, which destroys the marrow where white blood cells are produced. * Pancreatitis. The inflammation of the pancreas will draw white blood cells from the bloodstream, lowering their count. * Certain medications. Corticosteroids can actually suppress the production of white blood cells. THIS IS WHY I DON'T AGREE WITH THE STEROID ADMINISTRATION AT THIS TIME. Antibiotics, yes. Steroids, no. Just my opinion though. I can't really say your vet is wrong. This is just not what I would do especially since she is not responding. More testing needs to be done: * repeat the CBC to see where the white count is now * chemistry panel to check liver, kidneys, etc * FeLV/FIV testing * FIP (corona virus) testing * pancreatitis test Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Max is not feeling well. It is difficult for me to determine what could be going on with Max since I do not have the full blood work in front of me. With Max being an older cat and having these symptoms, I would suggest additional diagnostic testing be performed such as an abdominal ultrasound or abdominal x-rays. The low white blood cell count could be due to a chronic infection or decreased production. If Max has not been drinking he may be dehydrated and may require fluids to correct dehydration. This might also explain why he is not eating if he is nauseous from dehydration. I would suggest getting further testing performed and more symptomatic therapy such as anti-nausea medications and appetite stimulants and fluid supplementation. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns

Pets that are anemic have a decreased ability to oxygenate their body, since red blood cells carry oxygen. While some increased respiratory rate is expected, it has me very concerned. Oxygen therapy will help to make sure that every red blood cell is filled with as much oxygen as possible. I would recommend discussing this with the vet and inquire about oxygen therapy and continued hospitalization.

An RBC of 7 is seriously low. It will take quite some time (around three weeks to get a normal RBC count) for your kitty to make new blood, so it is important that it eats and drinks. I would actually feed it canned food only, and even add some minced beef (hamburger) to it to make sure it has enough iron and moisture to make new blood. He should get a little bit better every day. Such severe anemia weakened your kitty and that is why he is so lethargic.

If Pudding has been normal and the veterinarian did not find any abnormalities on her physical exam, then try not to stress. The blood cells are cyclic in nature and sometimes we catch them at a low point. Stress can also impact the counts. Retesting in 3 weeks is the best route to go so that you can see what the trend is and then make an appropriate assessment. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am so sorry for your loss. I don’t see your kitty’s age, but if he/she was older, I would be most suspicious that he/she had cancer somewhere. Even though FeLV negative, it’s still possible that cancer developed in her bone marrow due to an unknown cause. (Which unfortunately is usually the case with cancer). When all of the blood cells are low, primary bone marrow disease (cancer, immune mediated disease) may be to blame. It’s also possible that there was cancer elsewhere and the bone marrow stopped working due to either spread of the disease or because of what we call a “paraneoplastic syndrome”, which is just a fancy way to say that unfortunately cancer sometimes does whatever it wants. I am so sorry again for your heartache. It sounds like you did everything you could have for your cat. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Please let us know if we can help you further.