Clinical toxoplasmosis in cats, while uncommon, causes serious illness affecting the eyes, nervous system, and multiple organs, requiring prompt veterinary diagnosis and treatment.
Clinical toxoplasmosis in cats causes significant multi-organ suffering including pneumonia with respiratory distress, painful inflammatory eye disease, liver failure, and neurological signs. The severity reflects the degree of immunocompromise in affected cats, with FIV-positive cats particularly vulnerable. Prompt diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antiprotozoal drugs reduces disease duration and severity. Ocular disease requires ophthalmological assessment to guide treatment and prevent permanent blindness. The welfare priority is early recognition in at-risk cats and rapid treatment initiation — delayed treatment allows greater organ damage and longer periods of suffering.