The parasites in cats, is a very frequent topic that we can hear in the waiting rooms of veterinary offices and as a topic of conversation among cat lovers. Although it is something very common, we must always be vigilant and careful, parasites can cause damage to our cats if they are not treated properly.
Signs that will indicate the presence of parasites in cats
Something that we must take into account is that not all the parasites that can affect a cat are going to be visible in their stools. In some cases, this type of parasitic infestation will manifest itself through the presence of various symptoms that we will be able to notice if we pay due attention to our feline, since it will make them act a little differently than normal. Let us remember that parasites can attack any of the Cat breeds.
We are going to know a little about these symptoms that we must take into account:
- Weight loss
- Anemia
- Diarrhea (liquid or semi liquid)
- Growth deficit (in puppies)
- dull fur
- Swollen abdomen
- Vomiting
- Dark stools due to the presence of blood
- Gastritis
- poor absorption of nutrients
- Decay
If you notice some of these symptoms, it is recommended that you take your cat to a veterinarian, in this way, the pertinent tests will be carried out to be able to know if what is happening is really a parasitic infestation, if so, the doctor will be able to know what type of parasite is affecting our pet and thus be able to prescribe the appropriate treatment to eliminate them.
Do house cats also get parasites?
This is one of the most frequent questions that feline owners have, since many believe that if their cats do not leave the house, they are free from contracting parasites, whether internal or external, but this is not the case, even if your cat never has left the house, you can also get these, but how? Very simple, this time the bearer would be the owner. When he goes outside and returns home, on his clothes or shoes, he can bring larvae or parasites that will then come into contact with the pet and cling to them.
Another form of contagion is that, at home, there are other domestic animals that if they have contact with the outside or that are infested, in this way they will infect the feline even if he does not put a single paw outside his home.
These are the reasons why it is very important that you follow the instructions of your veterinarian and deworm your pets at the right time, because it is not known when you will be able to contract some of these undesirable invaders, in addition, we must remember that, not always the infestation will manifest visible symptoms that will let us know that our pet has parasites.
What are the types of intestinal parasites common in cats?
You should know that there are different types of parasites that can affect a feline. It is extremely important that as an owner you know about this subject and know how to recognize between one type of parasite and another, because in this way, you will know what is happening when the veterinarian explains what is happening with your cat.
Now, today we are going to teach you about the most common types of parasites in cats. These are what normally affect our cats and, like any other condition, if it is not attacked quickly, it could have consequences or leave consequences that affect our pet. Well, let's get to know these types of intestinal parasites in cats:
- Nematodes
- Cestodes or tapeworms
- Giardia
- Coccidia
- Toxoplasmosis
Now, we will talk a little about each of these types of parasites, in this way you will be able to get to know them and how they affect your cat.
Nematodes or Roundworms
There are many types of nematode parasites, they are usually differentiated from other parasites by their appearance similar to that of a worm or earthworm, as they tend to be cylindrical and elongated. When the animal has a massive infestation of these parasites, they can be seen in its feces, because the mimes will end up coming out since they will not have enough space to stay inside the cat.
We can affirm that there are two types of nematodes that directly affect felines:
Roundworms: Within this group there are Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina. Being the first much more aggressive and dangerous than the second, since the latter presents strong symptoms and also physically affects the feline much more than Toxascaris. For this reason, we are going to focus on learning more about Toxocara cati, since it could be said that it has a higher degree of danger.
Well, the first thing we need to know is, what is the life cycle of this parasite like? Although it seems to be simple or very similar to the life of other animals, the truth is that the life cycle of these parasites is a bit more cumbersome. The first thing we must know is what, these come from eggs, these eggs do not stay inside their host, they come out through the feces of the infested cat.
After spending a couple of days outside, inside these eggs a larva will begin to form which will stay inside. It is at this stage that a cat can contract it, because if he has contact with feces infested with these eggs, they can enter the feline's system. The most common is that the eggs enter the cat's body through the nose, this happens when the animal sniffs the infected stool or through the mouth, if the cat eats something that has been contaminated.
Once the egg with the larva is inside our feline and reaches its intestine, it will hatch, that is, the larva will come out of the egg where it was. This is where the real danger begins. This larva will begin to perforate the intestine to be able to cross its wall, in this way, it will be carried by the bloodstream until it reaches the cat's liver and after this it will be dragged to one of the lungs. It is at this time that the symptoms begin to be noticed.
Now, once inside the lung, this larva will go to its next stage and grow a little more. One of the symptoms it produces at that time is coughing up phlegm. Taking advantage of this symptom, the larva comes out of the lungs and comes to be near the cat's mouth, but it does not come out, but instead returns through the digestive tract until reach the intestine again.
Once back in the small intestine, the larva becomes an adult parasite, it will cling to the walls of the intestine and will stay there feeding, it will begin to absorb all the nutritional agents that the cat ingests, that is why, It can be noticed that the feline begins to lose weight, growth problems (if the feline is a puppy) and in some cases anemia.
Although these types of parasites do not feed on the blood of cats, they do steal most of the nutrients that the cat consumes. As we mentioned before, the theft of these is what causes thinness and lack of growth in the feline, but they can also cause other symptoms such as opacity of the coat, abdominal inflammation, vomiting with the presence of worms, liquid stools and sometimes with the presence of blood and sometimes even intestinal obstruction is noted, this when the infestation is massive.
Hookworms: The most relevant characteristic of these parasites are the hooks that they have in their mouths and which they use to adhere safely to the small intestine of our cat, when they are clinging there, they begin to feed on the feline's blood. When they bite, these parasites secrete a toxin that serves as an anticoagulant, making it easier for them to feed.
In the case of massive infestations, that is, there are a large number of these parasites inside the cat's intestine, the bite of all of them together could cause internal bleeding due to difficult blood coagulation. It will be noticed since we will find the presence of blood in the feces of our pet.
The symptomatology that is observed with these parasites is iron deficiency in the blood (anemia), weakening due to bleeding and if it is not treated in time and the feline is heavily infested, it could cause the little one to die.
Unlike the parasites mentioned above, these are much smaller, no more than one and a half centimeters and can even be half a centimeter, so they will not be very easy to observe or distinguish.
Usually, the cats that get these parasites are puppies. They can contract them in three ways: Through breast milk, if the cat is infested and the parasites manage to cross the placenta to reach the fetus or if the puppy has contact with infected feces or objects that may be. This latter form can occur even in adult cats.
The life cycle of these parasites is exactly the same as that of Toxocaras, with the only difference being that Toxocaras cannot reach the fetus of the pregnant mother. The rest of its cycle and growth is exactly the same. Even the way to exterminate and treat infestations of these parasites is identical, so many times, with the same dewormer, we can exterminate both types of parasites.
Cestodes or flatworms
These are also very common in cats. Within this type of parasite is one of the best known, you had them. These are parasites that affect our felines regularly, so we always have to be very vigilant and go to the vet if we notice any symptoms.
Now we are going to know the types of parasites that are within this group:
I had canine: This type of parasite can affect both dogs and cats. Its life cycle and growth will depend on whether it has a dog or cat that contains them, this is because its life cycle is indirect, it depends on another living being to be able to grow.
The most common form of contagion of this parasite is through the bite of fleas or lice in cats, although the most common is through flea infestation. The symptomatology that occurs when the cat is infected with these parasites is not very striking. What we could mostly notice is the presence of some remains of the body of the parasites in our cat's feces or in his anus. These particles or remains are highly infectious, that is, they can infect other cats with the parasites.
The most effective way to eliminate these parasites is through general deworming, that is, killing both the intestinal parasite and the external parasite, whether it is a flea or louse. If the cause (external parasite) is not eliminated, the feline will be constantly infected even when dewormed internally.
Taenia: This is another type of flat parasite that can affect our cat. This, in the same way, will need a host to be able to live and in turn, to be able to infect our feline. In the specific case of this parasite, we are not talking about hosts such as fleas, ticks or louses. On this occasion, your transmitter would be the mice or rats.
When our cat hunts one of these rodents and it is infested, it will immediately infect our feline. This type of infection is usually asymptomatic, however, on some occasions, and depending on the affected feline, anal itching, loss of shine and softness in the fur and the presence of parasite particles in the stool may be noted.
Echinococcus: These types of parasites are not usually found in cats, in fact, it is not very likely that a feline will infest them, although some cases have been seen, these are very isolated. However, we mention it, because this parasitosis does usually affect humans, it is the cause of the "hydatid cyst" disease, which is why we consider it important to mention it.
IF you have one of the rare cases that one of your cats is infested with these parasites, you should be very careful, as they could infect you and contract the aforementioned disease. Although, most likely, we are more likely to be infected if we have contact with an affected dog or fox.
microscopic parasites
These types of parasites are much more complex to identify, because they cannot be seen by man. They are mostly found in places that are highly populated by felines, that is, they are very frequent in stray cat colonies or in animal shelters.
We are going to know which are the most common of this group:
Giardia: This type of protozoan that affects cats can present a variety of symptoms that will be different in each affected pet. In some cases, it will be possible to see that the feline begins to have liquid and mucous stools in which there may or may not be some blood spots, however, in most cases, the physical health of the cat does not decline , behaves the same way as always. In other cases, this type of parasitosis is asymptomatic, it will only be noticed when stool tests are performed.
This type of parasites tend to proliferate in environments with medium or high humidity. Cats can contract parasites either through their mouths, when they eat something that is infected, or if they have direct contact with the feces of other felines that are infested with parasites.
The way to treat infected felines is very simple, however, the administration of an antibiotic is always recommended to avoid any infection. In many cases, special use is made of the medication "metronidazole", this, in addition to being a powerful antibiotic, is also an antiparasitic and bactericide.
Coccidia Apicomplexa: This type of parasitosis mostly affects kittens and young cats, especially those that live in large colonies or that are found in shelters full of other felines. If symptoms consist of the presence of soft yellow stools, the puppy tends to grow very slowly, the coat loses shine and softness and in some cases, stomach inflammation is usually quite noticeable and bothersome for the little one.
The symptoms of this parasitosis can become serious when the condition of the isms is mixed with a bacterial infection, which normally do not present any extra symptoms. The form of treatment of these is usually a little more complex, especially in those cases where the bacterial infection makes an appearance. The treatment will consist of antibiotics, antiparasitic and bactericides.
Toxoplasmosis: It is one of the best known parasites and has created a lot of controversy, since many erroneous theories have been created regarding it, how it affects humans and who causes it. It should be noted that the feline is the definitive host of these parasites, and it is within them that they reproduce.
The form of contagion in cats is usually through the consumption of meat from other infected animals, especially mice or rats. The symptoms that occur with this infestation are not usually serious and will vary depending on each cat. In some cases, the presence of extreme thinness, high temperatures, lack of mood, mild respiratory problems and more are noted.
In many cases, the symptoms that are noticed will appear for short periods of time and then disappear, with the passage of time, they will appear again and so on. For this reason, it is not always possible to know just by observing the feline, if he has toxoplasmosis or not, since he usually presents misleading symptoms.
The best way to prevent our cats from contracting these parasites is by not letting them eat meat without cooking it and preventing them from marrying mice, as they could be infected and we would not know it. It is not very common for a feline to contract these parasites, but if it does, it will only be necessary to eliminate the parasite and everything will be over.
In the case of humans, the mistaken belief that this is one of the Diseases transmitted by cats to humans or that these parasites live perennially in the animal. As in any of the cases with parasites, if the man has direct contact with the feces of the infested animal, it is obvious that he runs the risk of contracting the parasite.
In addition, humans should be very careful to wash the fruits and vegetables they consume well, since it is much easier to get toxoplasmosis from the consumption of infected food than from a cat. Rodents and pigeons are the main cause of infection of these parasites in man. So, it is completely false that people who have cats carry these types of parasites in their bodies.
What should we do if we want to deworm a feline?
Now that we have learned about the most common internal parasites in cats, we can understand a little more about the importance of regular deworming, not only for our cats, but for all animals in general.
When we have the slightest suspicion that our pet may have a parasite infestation, we should go to the vet as quickly as possible, in this way, the doctor will be able to carry out the appropriate tests to know which parasite we are dealing with. It must be remembered that not all parasites can be exterminated in the same way, in some cases, special antiparasitics should be used for that group or type of parasite.
There are times when cats will require a much longer treatment to treat not only the infestation but also the consequences and symptoms that they leave in their wake. Of course, everything will depend on the type of parasite and how it will affect our feline. There are different ways to deworm them, it can be done by cat pipettes or by means of tablets.