How long does it take for coccidia to show up in a kitten??

Question

I have other kittens that seem fine. if I have had this kitten for 3 weeks did she bring it with her or could she have got it from one of the other kittens??

Answer 1

I don't know but her are some links that might help... My puppies had it and it took three vets to find it...

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidia

http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehe...

These are what lead me to suggest to the final vet that it may be this... I'd take her to the vet after reading for safe measures... Good luck...

Answer 2

I think it shows up pretty quickly in a stool sample. You may not notice any symptoms for a while though. Where did the kitten come from? My vet told me that it is common in cats that are in shelters or hording situations where there are a lot of cats sharing a litter box. The cat I got from a shelter who came from a hoarder had it.

It can spread easily through the litter box so isolate the one that has it until it is cleared up. Take stool samples from the others to the vet if possible so they can check them.

Answer 3

It can take a while for it to show up - it's one of those things that can lie dormant, or is barely affecting them, then a stressful situation (like going to a new home, or adding a new kitten) can cause it to rear it's ugly head.  It's hard to say where it came from - could have been the new kitten or one of the others.  Sometimes it's pretty clear cut, especially if one of the kittens came from outdoors, or a shelter.   If you know the sources of the kittens, it wouldn't hurt to check (in a tactful way of course) to see if they've had any outbreaks of it there.  And you might even be doing the other people a favor by alerting them to a situation they would want to treat!  

But it's one of those things that time (and some Albon) will cure.  The normal course of Albon is 10 days, but it can take longer if it's really stubborn.