Clinical features of salmonellosis in cats: six cases (1981-1986)

Of 6 cats with salmonellosis, only cats 1, 4, and 5 manifested clinical signs of gastroenteritis. In cats 2 to 5, salmonellosis was characterized by fever, a left-shifted leukogram, and vague nonspecific signs of illness. Salmonellae were isolated from blood and feces of cats 1 to 4, and from extraintestinal sites as part of a mixed gram-negative bacterial flora in cats 5 and 6. Of 4 cats with Salmonella bacteremia, cats 2, 3, and 4 were successfully treated with trimethoprim-sulfadiazine, amoxicillin, and/or chloramphenicol; treatment with cephapirin was ineffective in 3 cats. In some cats, salmonellosis was observed as a chronic febrile illness without specific gastrointestinal signs or as a localized tissue infection.