Feline immune-mediated hemolytic anemia is less common but equally serious as in dogs, requiring prompt diagnosis and immunosuppressive treatment.
Feline IMHA causes acute, profound welfare harm from the rapid destruction of red blood cells and resulting anaemia and hypoxia. Cats with IMHA deteriorate rapidly - an apparently mildly unwell cat at morning examination may be in cardiovascular shock by evening. The welfare priority is rapid diagnosis and treatment: blood smear examination for hemoparasites, Coombs test, PCR for Mycoplasma haemofelis, and FeLV testing inform treatment decisions that directly affect survival probability. Unlike dogs where primary IMHA is most common, in cats a thorough search for the underlying cause (viral, parasitic, neoplastic) is particularly important because treating the trigger alongside immunosuppression produces dramatically better outcomes.