Why is white blood cell counts low in my cat?

I have a dsh 10 year old spayed female cat. During her yearly checkup, it was discovered that her white blood cell count was low. The vet tried Baytril and it only raised her count to 3.0 from 2.5 after being on it for 2 weeks. We're now using Interferon 1cc every day. She has tested negative for feline leukemia. All other aspects of her health are good. What might be some of the other causes of such a low white blood cell count?

  • Vetinfo

    By: Erika Raines El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    A low white blood cell count can be caused by many things. If your cat has not yet been tested for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), also known as feline AIDS, this is another good test to run. This condition can cause a lowered white blood cell count in its later stages. Low white blood cell counts can also be caused by other viral infections, such as respiratory viruses. If your cat does not appear or act sickly, then she likely is not affected by one of these viruses. It is hard for me to tell what her actual cell count is since there are no units on the numbers given, but a low count can be a normal variation. If your vet is as concerned as he or she seems, however, it is also unlikely that this is the case. Additionally there are some uncommon conditions of the bone marrow that can cause lowered white blood cell count, but these also cause a lowered red blood cell count.

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