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Why are my cat's eosinophil levels high? What does it indicate?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | 5 years and 9 months old | 12.5 lbs

Hi, My cat recently has lab work done, in which the results of the draw showed high eosinphil levels. He's eaten very poorly over the past few days, although his appetite has certainly improved with a use of appetite stimulant. Regularly, I allow him outside, but only for short amounts of time. What can my cat's lab results indicate? 5 y/o brown male tabby neuter- w/o signif past medical hx

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 3rd, 2017

Increased eosinophils can be a sign of external parasites like fleas, or internal parasites like worms. They can also increase with general inflammation, and can occasionally be increased for no significant reason. If parasites have been ruled out and Hemingway's remaining lab work is normal you may want to talk to your veterinarian about what they might recommend as the next diagnostic step: potentially x-rays, an ultrasound, or additional lab work.

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    Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello and thanks for your post! Unfortunately there are a lot of medical problems that may cause eosinophilia. Eosinophils higher than normal can indicate an external or internal parasitic infection, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, or certain types of cancers or tumors. You may want to see if an abdominal ultrasound or x-ray might be done to check his internal organs and help rule out cancer or a tumor. I hope this helps and best of luck to you and Hemingway!

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