Does Alabama Rot Affect Cats?

I have consulted with Dr Google and quickly realised that there is no reference, on the internet, to Alabama rot (cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV)) affecting cats but that does not mean conclusively that it does not affect cats. What I’m saying is that, at present, there is no information which indicates to people that this nasty disease affects cats.

There appear to have been no cases of cat suffering from Alabama rot. Since it has been around for over 30 years, the lack of cases regarding cats would indicate that it does not affect cats.

Does Alabama Rot Affect Cats?
Photo in public domain.

Cause Unknown

Veterinarians and specialists are still trying to come to grips with this disease. It has affected dogs in the UK and, as I understand it, it has been present in the USA since the 1980s.

It causes the skin to rot and it shuts down the kidneys. I believe that some dogs have recovered but a significant percentage died as a result or a veterinarian has decided that the best course of action is euthanasia. Since 2012 it has killed almost 100 dogs in the UK. It is generally fatal for dogs.

It appears that when dogs are taken for a walk in woodland areas they can pick up this infection, if it is an infection. It looks as though it is an infection to me. It may be a bacterial infection or caused by the toxins created by a rare form of E. coli.

Symptoms

Symptoms include tiredness, vomiting, reduced appetite and the signs of kidney failure. If any visitors have knowledge of this disease I would be very grateful if they would pass that knowledge on to other visitors in a comment. Thank you in advance.

Muddy Walks

Recent news (March 2018) coming out of the online press today indicates that dogs pick up the infection if it is infection from muddy walks. The advice today is to avoid taking your dog along muddy paths or into muddy areas in woodland. As domestic cats hardly ever walk along muddy paths there is little chance that they will pick up this so-called infection. However, my feeling is that domestic cats could be affected by Alabama Rot but are unaffected due to entirely different circumstances i.e. dogs are taken for walks in woods whereas domestic cats never do these things.

Current conclusion: Alabama Rot does not affect cats because of lifestyle differences but they may be open to an infection.




Leave a Comment

follow it link and logo