About Parasitic Worms: Part of a Cat's Life
Internal parasites (worms) are a very common problem among cats. Almost all kittens get the infection immediately after birth, through their mother’s milk (roundworm, hookworm). Moreover, cats of all ages are continuously exposed to parasites through soil contaminated by infective worm eggs or larvae in the backyard and parks or through hunting of intermediate hosts like mice and other small rodents. In some areas, cats are also at risk of being infected by heartworm which is transmitted through mosquito bites. Though some of these parasites are dangerous, they can be easily controlled and disease from the most common can be prevented.Worm Control: Why Worms are a Problem
Hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms can seriously affect a cat's health and well-being. Further they might be a zoontic risk factor, affecting owners and their children.
How to Examine Your Pet
It is better to have a veterinarian examine your pet for worms. Almost all kittens have parasites, so it is essential to have any kitten checked and to maintain ongoing prevention.
Treating and Preventing Worms
Although the risk of some parasites is greatest for the young kitten, parasite infections are not strictly age-related, and so the risk continues throughout life. Therefore consideration should be given to provide all cats with appropriate worm control throughout their lives.
Because prenatal infection does not occur in kittens, fortnightly treatment can begin at 3 weeks of age, repeated at 5 and 7 weeks or according to data sheet.
Recommendations, starting at 6 weeks of age. Nursing queens should be treated concurrently with their offspring since they may develop patent infections along with their young.
As the developing period for Toxocara spp (roundworm) is a little over four weeks, monthly treatment will minimise the risk of patent infections and can be recommended in risk scenarios such as the pet living in the family with small children and common use of a garden (or similar). Annual or twice annual treatments have been shown not to have a significant impact on preventing patent infection within a population, so a treatment frequency of at least 4 times per year is proposed as a general recommendation.
Many drugs are provided for the treatment and control of worms. Some of them are effective against all common cat worms thus ensuring a complete protection of your pet. Be sure to give to your pet the one that best satisfy his and your needs, in terms of ease of use, efficacy and safety (especially if very young animals are to be treated).
As the developing period for Toxocara spp (roundworm) is a little over four weeks, monthly treatment will minimise the risk of patent infections and can be recommended in risk scenarios such as the pet living in the family with small children and common use of a garden (or similar). Annual or twice annual treatments have been shown not to have a significant impact on preventing patent infection within a population, so a treatment frequency of at least 4 times per year is proposed as a general recommendation.
Many drugs are provided for the treatment and control of worms. Some of them are effective against all common cat worms thus ensuring a complete protection of your pet. Be sure to give to your pet the one that best satisfy his and your needs, in terms of ease of use, efficacy and safety (especially if very young animals are to be treated).
Types of Worms
Roundworm- Virtually every kitten can become infected while nursing.
- Children playing in contaminated dirt or sand can become infected with roundworms if they place their dirty fingers in their mouths.
- Roundworm eggs can hatch in a child’s stomach, cause damage to the abdominal organs and blindness in extreme cases.
- Roundworms cause diarrhoea and vomiting in young cats and dogs. They can also cause weight loss, a pot-bellied appearance, loss of vitality and lethargy. Severe infection can lead to pneumonia and obstruction of the intestine.
Hookworm (Ancylostoma)
- Hookworm larvae can penetrate human skin.
- Walking barefoot in contaminated soil or putting contaminated dirt in their mouths can infect children.
- Hookworms can cause lesions where they penetrate the skin, intestinal bleeding, anaemia, abdominal pain and diarrohea.
- Most common in young and occasionally adult animals, hookworms can cause anaemia if present in large numbers. Other symptoms include intestinal distress, pale gums, bloody diarrhoea, weight loss and in some cases stunted growth, digested blood in the stool and a poor condition coat.
Tape Worm
- Cats and dogs are at risk from these parasites that attach themselves to the wall of the animal’s small intestine.
- The most common means of infection is by hunting intermediate hosts or ingestion of flea larvae.
- One type of tapeworm (Echinococcus) do little harm to cats and dogs but can cause a severe infection – alveolar disease – in humans. However, cats, in contrast to dogs, are thought to be of minimal zoonotic risk as they are poor hosts for this worm.
- Symptoms are commonly white segments on the animal or in the stool. In rare cases, if present in large numbers, they can cause weight loss and debilitation. Sometimes, more commonly in dogs, the animal will scoot or drag its anus across the ground or carpet, due to anal irritation caused by segments.
- Heartworm infection (Dirofilaria immitis) and subcutaneous dirofilariosis (D. repens) are found in many south and eastern European countries as well as many other parts of the world. Climatic changes favourable to parasite development and the increasing number of pets who travel have increased the risk of infection for both cats and dogs.
- In risk areas all cats are at risk as mosquitoes spread heartworms.
- Symptoms in cats are usually milder than in dogs, but cats can also suffer convulsions, diarrhoea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat and in certain cases blindness.
