Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fever in cats: causes, tests, and effects of prior treatment
By Spencer, Sarah E et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·1 School of Veterinary Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pyrexia in cats: Retrospective analysis of signalment, clinical investigations, diagnosis and influence of prior treatment in 106 referred cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 106 cats with fever (pyrexia) were referred to a veterinary clinic to find out what was causing their high temperatures. The most common reason for the fever was feline infectious peritonitis, an illness caused by a virus, while other causes included infections, inflammatory diseases, and some cases where no diagnosis could be made. Most of the cats had received treatment before being referred, but this did not affect their temperature or the ability to diagnose their condition. The study highlights the importance of thorough investigations to determine the cause of fever in cats.
People also search for: cat fever causes · feline infectious peritonitis symptoms · why is my cat's temperature high
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The main aim of the study was to describe the features and diagnoses of a population of cats referred with pyrexia. Other aims were to report and evaluate the utility of clinical investigations performed, and describe any effect of treatment before referral on temperature at presentation and ability to make a diagnosis. METHODS: Clinical records of cats with pyrexia (⩾39.2°C) documented at least twice were retrospectively reviewed. Cases were assigned to disease categories (infectious, inflammatory, immune-mediated, neoplastic, miscellaneous and no diagnosis [pyrexia of unknown origin, PUO]) based on diagnosis. The overall value of clinical investigations was assessed by classifying them as 'enabling', 'assisting' or 'no assistance' in achieving each diagnosis. The effect of treatment before referral was assessed for any association with temperature at presentation and ability to make a diagnosis (PUO vs other disease categories). RESULTS: One hundred and six cases were identified. The most common cause of pyrexia was feline infectious peritonitis (22 cats, 20.8%) and the largest disease category was infectious (41/106, 38.7%). Inflammatory conditions were found in 19 (17.9%) cats, neoplasia in 13 (12.3%), miscellaneous causes in 11 (10.4%) and immune-mediated disease in six (5.7%). No diagnosis was reached in 16 (15.0%) cats, often despite extensive diagnostic investigations. Cytology and histopathology most often 'enabled' or 'assisted' in obtaining a diagnosis. Most cats (91, 85.8%) received treatment before referral, with antimicrobial treatment given to 87 (82.1%). Prior treatment before referral was not associated with temperature at presentation nor with success in establishing a diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This is the first study investigating causes of pyrexia in cats. Infectious diseases were most common and immune-mediated diseases were comparatively rare.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28880709/