Medical history…

When I first arrived at the sanctuary, I had quite a sensitive tummy and would have intermittent loose stools and diarrhoea. This was put down to me being a stray as it is quite common for cats who have been living outside and finding their own food, however after a while I had some tests done as it was a reoccurring issue. The tests showed that I had a nasty parasite called Giardia, so I had to have some medication to help me fight away the nasty bugs. Thankfully, the medication worked and once I had finished the course of treatment, further tests showed I was all clear. Sadly though, my stools didn’t improve as much as my carers had hoped, so after another few weeks I had another stool sample sent off for further testing. This showed that I am a carrier of a couple of things, which is quite common in cats who have been stray and lived outside whilst living around lots of other cats.

I am a carrier of a virus called Coronavirus (different to the human version). This is a very common virus for cats to carry as most cats have come into contact with it at some point in their life. A lot more research has been done into this virus in recent years and studies have shown that over 40% of cats carry Coronavirus, but symptoms only show in a small number of cats. So, a lot of cats (especially cats who go outside) probably have the virus, but will never show any symptoms so therefore their owners and vets will never know that they have it. If you’ve had cats before, they may even have had it but you’d never have known unless they were specifically tested for it like I was. So, please don’t let this put you off giving me a home! My carers tell me the other cats here may have it too, but there would be no need to test every single cat, and the only time we are tested is if we show symptoms such as sensitive tummies. My carers say although it is useful to know that I have it as it could have been a cause of my sensitive tummy, it is a bit annoying as it may now put off potential adopters from giving me a home. I really hope someone is out there who will do their research to see just how common it is though, maybe this could be you and you can be my new human?

The other thing I have is an increased amount of a bacteria called Clostridium Perfringens. This is most likely due to me eating whatever I could find when I was living as a stray when I had to fend for myself. My carer has attached a link below so you can read about this. I did not need any antibiotics or treatment for this due to the type found in my faeces, however I have been put onto a high fibre diet which is working really well, and I now have normal stools and have done for a while now, so the food is definitely helping. This shows that it was most likely this that was causing my sensitive tummy and not the coronavirus.

As I must have had this long-term prior to coming to the sanctuary, I will need to remain on my special food and also a fibre supplement powder added to my food (this comes in a big tub which lasts a long time and is inexpensive) for the rest of my life as it really helps me and has made me a much healthier boy.

Diarrhea Due to Clostridium perfringens in Cats | PetMD

Neither of these conditions are serious, and only cause illness occasionally in some cats. I am doing really well now I’m on my special food and am generally a healthy boy. If I came into rescue the way I am now, I wouldn’t even need to be tested for these conditions as I am no longer showing signs. This does prove though that the high fibre diet is helping me immensely, so it is imperative that I am kept on this and hopefully I will need no further treatment for either of these silly bugs for the rest of my life. I really hope someone will still give me a home.