There are various kind of diseases which can affect cats, one of them is a fungal disease which caused by fungus, a spore-producing organism. Fungus are parasites which live by absorbing food from the hosts (in this case are cats) where they grow on. The growth of fungus may cause a serious infection on your cats. There are several fungal diseases, but in this article we will only disscus about one of the them which called sporotrichosis, and what are the causes of this disease.
What is Sporothrix Schenckii?
Sporothrix schenckii is a fungus which as the others, naturally lives and exist in the environment; it can be found in sphagnum moss, soil and plants.
What is Sporotrichosis?
This is a fungal disease caused by fungus Sporothrix schenckii . It can affect your pet, and the effects of this disease cannot be underestimate. Once it happens, it can affect not only skin but also bones, lungs, liver, testes, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system and even dangerous : brain.
What cause Sporotrichosis in cats?
You may wonder why did your cat get the Sporotrichosis infection. The following are some information to help you understand where did the fungus come or why your cat is at a risk of being infected by Sporotrichosis :
- In most cases, the main culprit of this disease is the male cat. It does not mean that the female ones can be the exception, but male cats have more possibility than the female ones to have fights with the other cats outdoor and often time get wounds from the fights.
What is the relationship with Sporotrichosis?
The answer is since Sporothrix schenckii fungus ( which cause Sporotrichosis ) can be transmitted through the wound, even if it is only a minor cut or injury. When having a fight, male cats usually get injuries caused by being bitten or being stratched by another cat who has been infected by sporotrichosis. The injury seems like an opened gate for fungus to enter the cat’s body, and spread to the other parts.
At first, the injury seems like a normal wound your cat usually had . But after a while, the injury abcesses and it seems like it will not heal. Then along with that visible sign, your cat may lose its appetite, has fevers, looks depressed and becomes lethargic.
- Another cause is the exposure to another infected pet. Even a healthy cat has a risk to be infected if it shares a household with another pet which has been infected. So you can separate a pet which has been infected by sporotrichosis from your cat.
- Your cat may get sporotrichosis if the wound it got is having contact with plants or soil where Sporothrix schenckii fungus has growth on. Or the sharp branch of some affected plants may make a new wound and let a number of fungus move to the cat’s body through that wound.
- The other cause is if your cat has a immunosuppressive disease, so that the fungus easily enter the body and cause infection.
All of the causes that have been mentioned above are the common causes for the Sporotrichosis in cats. And all of those can be prevented, one example is the first cause : the cat got a wound from a fight and being infected. You can prevent it by limit your cat activities outdoor such as playing with another cat who has been infected or cats you don’t know. You can do anything needed to prevent it from the other cause, and being aware : do not ignore if you notice any new wound on its body.