Salmonella Symptoms and Treatments

Salmonella is caused by a type of salmonella bacterial that produces gastrointestinal infection in susceptible animals. It tends to afflict kittens housed in crowed, unsanitary surrounding and cats whose natural resistance has been weakened by a virus infection, malnutrition or other stress.

Signs of infection are high fever, vomiting and diarrhea (90% of the cases), dehydration and weakness. Death occurs in about half the cases. Abortions have been reported.

Cats are often asymptomatic carriers. Bacteria shed in their feces can, under appropriate conditions, produce active infection in domestic animals and humans. Diagnosis is made by identifying salmonella bacteria in stool cultures (carrier state) or in the blood, feces and infected tissues of cats suffering acute infection.

Recommended Treatment:
Mild uncomplicated cases respond to correction of dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea. Antibiotics (Chloromycetin, Sulfa drugs) are reserved for very severely ill cats. Antiboiotics can favor the growth of resistant salmonella species and prolong fecal shedding of bacteria!

Prevent this disease by housing cats under sanitary conditions where they can be well cared for and fed.

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