When it comes to taking care of your cat, a mandatory thing is regular visits to the vet. They should be on a monthly basis, but once or twice every year, that visit should include a blood test. It’s one of the best ways to monitor the health of your beloved pet in detail. By having this knowledge, you may know what changes to make in the lifestyle of your kitty.
A complete blood count usually consists of measuring the amount of erythrocyte, leukocytes, and platelets present in the kitty’s blood. However, the test results contain much more than these three values. This is mostly because these cells have multiple subtypes which are worth being knowledgeable about.
The immune system
Leukocytes or white blood cells are the most important component of the body’s immune system. They circulate through the blood of your cat and have the task of staying vigilant, in case an infection appears. These indispensable cells five subtypes themselves - neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes.
Lymphocytes are perhaps the most important subtype of all, as they directly regulate immune function. They too have subtypes, three of them, but in most tests, they are grouped together under a single name – absolute lymphocytes.
The meaning of different numbers
The absolute lymphocyte represents a value that signifies the total number of cells in a selected volume of blood. Alongside a number, there is also a percentage value, which tells us how many lymphocyte cells are within the total white blood cell count. Both of these numbers are important for pinpointing whether something is wrong with your kitten.
The normal range of absolute lymphocytes for cats of any age is 1200-8000, which is about 20-45 in percentage. Anything more or less than the desired quantity may be an indication of an illness or disorder within the body. However, if there is a slight rise – don’t worry. It’s because the kitty is scared of having its blood drown, which is somewhat of a normal response.
Lymphocytosis and lymphopenia
These two conditions signify the high and low lymphocyte counts. A high count may very well be the sign of an increasingly sick organism. Leukemia, IED, hyperthyroidism and other condition may very well trigger the body to produce more lymphocytes.
Lymphopenia is usually found in kittens who under a lot of stress or are takin steroidal medication for some other conditions. Lymphoma and lymphosarcoma can also manipulate the absolute lymphocyte levels.
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