Internal Parasites in Cats

The four most common intestinal parasites are roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, and coccidia. It's sometimes hard to tell what kind of worms a cat has. You have to take the stool to the veterinarian and let him exmine it under the microscope.

Roundworms

Roundworms are round and white, often coiled and up to 6 inches lng. They are readily seen in the cat's feces or are occasionally vomited up. Two types of these internal parasitesare found in cats. Toxocara cati, the most common, and Toxascaris leonina. Because the larvae are present in the queen's milk, almost all kittens are infected with T.cati by the time they are 3-4 weeks old. Heavily infected kittens are usually debilitated, have diarrhea, and often appear potbellied. All kittens should be dewormed at regular intervals from 3 weeks to 6 months of age. Thereafetr, they should be tested and/or dewormed every 6 months (outdoor cats) or 12 months (indoor cats); ask your vet's advice. Queens should be treated during pregnancy and lactation.

Prevention of Roundworms includes regular deworming from 14 days old; stool (fecal) tests and annual checkup.

Tapeworms

Tapeworms have a flatened, segmented body that grows from a small pointed head embedded in the intestinal wall. Dipylidium, common in cats, can reach a length of 20 inches. As the tapeworm grows, segments break off the rear adn are passed through the anus. The segnebts are mobile and full of eggs but soon dry—when they look like grains of rice—and then burst, releasing the eggs into the environment. The eggs are eaten by the flea larvae, where they develop into cysts. They remain dormant until an adult flea is eaten by a cat during grooming. The cyst develops into an adult tapeworm in its intestine. The flea is the only intermediate host—there is no cat-to-cat spread.

Taenia

Taenia, a longer and thicker tapeworm than Dipylidium, is picked up from infected prey such as small rodents and carrion. If your cat a regular hunter, you must make sure it is regularly dewormed. Heartworm preventive treatments also protect against tapeworm.

Prevention of Tapeworms includes good antiflea control and regular deworming. Avoid raw meat and offal.

Hookworms and Whipworms

Hookworms and whipworms are intestinal worms found in parts of the US and Australia, picked up from the eggs licked from the ground or grass. Larvae of the Ancylostoma hookworm can burrow their way through the skin, especially the feet, causing severe irritation. Kittens are infected through the milk of their mothers. If you live in an infected area, it is essential that your cat is given full protection.

Prevention of Hookworms & Whipworms includes regular deworming; stool tests and annual checkup.

Heartworms

Heartworms are small parasitic worms that live in the heart—less commonly infect cats than dogs. Thecat becomes infected with the heartworm larvae through the bite of an infected mosquito. They enter the circulation and develop to maturity in the heart, where they obstruct the blood flow throgh the lungs and eventually cause heart failure. Signs include breathing difficulties, weight loss and buildup of fluids in the abdomen. Prebention is essential in the areas where the heartworm is endemic, including most of the US and parts of Canada.

Prevention of Heartworms includes blood tests at annual checkup. Start prevention 2 weeks before visiting an endemic area; continue 90 days after.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is spread by a parasite found worldwide in all warm-blooded animals (including humans) and carried in feces. About 50% of cats have toxoplasmosis at some time in their lives, but it causes signs primarily in cats with damaged immune system; diarrhea is the most common sign. Once sed in a cat stool, the organism must remain in the feces for 24 hours before a human can be infected, so if litter is disposed of quickly, there is no risl to human health. However, pregnant women should not handle cat litter, because toxoplasmosis can infect the unborn fetus. There is no available vaccine. Treatment with an antiparasitic drug will usually cure the problem in otherwise healthy cats.

Prevention of Toxoplasmosis Take precautions when handling litter trays and feces.