My cat's healthy but has a high white blood cell count. Why?

Question

Some background. My cat is a female domestic shorthair, roughly 4/5 years old. I've had her since she was a kitten. She has all her shots up to date. No kitty leukemia. She has a high white blood cell count. She has been eating, drinking, peeing and pooping regularly. There has been no out of the ordinary meowing.What could she possibly have? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 8.5 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

Well, a high white blood cell count in the absence of anything else is not always significant. Often times, particularly at a veterinary office, the white blood cell count (the neutrophils in particular) can increase above normal from stress. Also, there is some variation from cat to cat, where small elevations above normal may not always have any significance. If the white blood cell elevation is real and significant, it is an indication of some type of inflammation occurring somewhere inside of the body. This is usually due to some type of bacterial/viral/fungal/parasitic infection or bodily injury. In other cases, we can also see it with certain toxins and even cancers. Without more information regarding your cat, it would be hard to say if this is a significant finding. If your cat is completely healthy and your vet has determined this, the white blood cell count is probably insignificant at this time.

My cat's healthy but has a high white blood cell count. Why?

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