I had some time to read up on coccidiosis. All the articles I found pretty much explains it the same way. Here’s one: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/coccidiosis-in-cats
Some excerpts from the article:
What is coccidiosis?
Coccidiosis is an intestinal tract infection caused by a one-celled organism (protozoa) called coccidia. Isospora species are the most common type of coccidia and are sometimes called Cystoisospora. Because coccidia live in the intestinal tract and can cause diarrhea, they are often confused with intestinal worms, but coccidia are not worms. They are microscopic and act as parasites that live within the cells that line the intestine.
How did my cat become infected?
Your cat most likely became infected with coccidia from swallowing oocysts (immature coccidia) that are found in cat feces and any environment contaminated with feces. Oocysts are passed in the stool of an infected cat. They live in the environment and eventually mature into more developed oocysts that can cause infection or reinfection. This maturing can occur in as little as eight hours but usually takes seven to ten days.
Since young kittens (less than six months of age) have no immunity to coccidia, the organisms can reproduce in great numbers, which may have serious consequences. It takes about 3-11 days for illness to develop after the kitten first ingests coccidia. Consequently, kittens that become sick from a coccidia infection are at least two weeks old.
What are the clinical signs of coccidiosis?
Many cats who are infected with coccidia do not have diarrhea or any other clinical signs. When the oocysts are found in the stool of a cat without diarrhea, they are generally considered a transient, insignificant finding. However, in kittens and debilitated adult cats, coccidiosis can cause severe watery or mucousy diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal distress, loss of appetite, and vomiting. In severe cases, death may occur.
How is coccidiosis treated?
The most common drug used to treat coccidiosis is a sulfa-class antibiotic, sulfadimethoxine (Albon®). It is typically administered for 5-20 days. Some formulations of this medication are pleasant tasting and most cats will readily accept them. If the sulfa drug is not effective, other treatments are available, including sulfa antibiotics combined with another drug, amprolium (Albac/Amprol Hi-E®), or off-label use of ponazuril (Marquis®) or toltrazuril (Baycox®). Additional supportive treatments may be needed if diarrhea and dehydration occur.
Cats are frequently reinfected from the environment, so disinfection is important. The oocysts are very resistant to environmental conditions and disinfectants.
Can I get coccidiosis from my cat?
The most common species of coccidia found in cats do not infect humans. Some of the less common species, however, are potentially infectious. One of these organisms, Cryptosporidium, may be transmitted by cats to people, especially those with compromised immune systems.
Having looked after cats and kittens for almost 19 years now, this is my first time encountering coccidiosis. None of the many kittens I have brought up and fostered was ever afflicted with this disease.
I’m still wondering how Juno contracted it. Most of the articles say it is from ingesting contaminated faeces. Juno never goes out at all and is completely indoors. So I can only think of three possibilities here: (1) We somehow brought in the pathogen from outside? But we don’t wear our shoes into the house at all. (2) Tabs and Riley are carriers of the disease and it’s in their stools? Juno shares three litter boxes with Tabs and Riley. But I clean the litter boxes so, so frequently, multiple times a day because I’m usually at home all the time. (3) As the vet suggests, Juno probably ate contaminated raw food as coccidia is also found in chicken.
As all the articles say, coccidiosis usually does not harm a cat older than six months of age. Juno is estimated to be only 3 months old now. So I’m now contemplating what I should feed Juno after she recovers from this, at least until she reaches six months old. Everyone eats the same raw food and no one else is down with this disease, but then again, Juno is the only kitten in the house now. The rest are all adults.
Poor Juno, though. She was rescued from the street, literally, right smack in the middle of a busy road, and then she had a collapsed lung. She recovered from that, and then came down with suspected mycoplasma infection due to blood parasite from fleas. She recovered from that, and now she’s down with coccidia infection.
This is her third hurdle to cross. Three big hurdles in the first three months of her life.
I have nursed many, many kittens throughout the last 19 years. Some get through with absolutely no issues at all; some have hurdles to overcome too. When one has done enough rescues (I have only done 85 personal rescues so far), one realises that our earthly life is very imperfect.
Get well soon and be stronger, Juno.
P.S. It is now 8.00pm, so it’s been 7.5 hours being diarrhoea-free and 4 hours after the Baycox (given with food) with no vomiting. I am wishing really hard here…