These parasites can cause a range of health issues, including vomiting, diarrhea and malnutrition. Understanding how cats get worms can help cat owners protect their pets from these intestinal parasites. Here are the most common ways. Cats and other pets infested with roundworms pass microscopic eggs in their feces. These eggs can leach into the surrounding environment, like the soil in your garden or yard, where they can survive for long periods of time.
If your cat accidentally eats these eggs while sniffing or licking the ground outside, they can develop a new roundworm infection. Cats can even become infected inside the house, if another pet or person has accidentally brought the roundworm eggs inside. In fact, the most common way for a cat to get tapeworms is by eating infected fleas carrying the larval form of the worm while grooming themselves or other cats. Cats are especially at risk for tapeworms because they are such good groomers.
A cat will often ingest any fleas present during grooming — so fleas carrying tapeworm larvae will often end up in their gut. Unlike roundworm eggs, you can easily see tapeworm segments passed in faeces with the naked eye.
While mainly older cats are affected, kittens can also be affected via ingesting an infected flea. Often cats will show no symptoms at all, but common signs to look out for include:. Although not as common as tapeworms and roundworms, pet owners should be vigilant against hookworms. They feed off the blood of the cat via the small intestine , which can lead to anaemia. In extreme cases, they can be fatal, especially in kittens. Common signs to look out for include:.
Luckily, they are less common and are rarely fatal unlike in dogs. However, they can cause breathing problems and lung damage. Naturally, cats that hunt or are in contact with slugs and snails are most at risk. In severe cases of worm infestation s, they can block the intestines, causing very serious health issues.
In rare cases, worms can be fatal, especially for kittens. Worms are everywhere and no matter if your cat stays inside all day or is newly born, they are at risk. The only way to be sure your cat is fully protected is to regularly worm them, preventing worms from causing health problems.
Mice, voles, shrews and birds can all be infected with roundworm larvae, and when the prey is caught and then eaten by the cat the eggs hatch in the stomach. Tapeworms are often much longer than roundworms. When dry the egg sacs resemble grains of rice. These particular worms are much more of a problem in older cats — particularly those which hunt, or are periodically infected with fleas.
The most common is the flea tapeworm Diplidium which is acquired by the cat swallowing fleas infected with the tapeworm larvae. The symptoms of worm infestation are negligible in the early stages, which is why regular worm control is essential. The signs of roundworms are primarily vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss, a dull coat, and lack of energy.
Many cats will not show any symptoms of tapeworms. The most common are an increased hunger, dragging the bottom along the ground due to the irritation caused by the worm, and more time spent washing its anal area. Hookworms Ancylostoma tubaeforme are blood-sucking parasites that live in the small intestine and are becoming an increasing threat mainly due to the increasing fox population, so many of which are carrying the infection.
In addition to the same symptoms as roundworm, dark stools caused by bleeding — which can lead to anaemia and diarrhoea are also a typical sign. We use cookies to improve our website to make sure you have a better browsing experience. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. Click Yes to help us continue to make these improvements. Our Other Sites Close. Our Other Sites. Types of worms Roundworms Intestinal roundworms are the most common intestinal parasites in cats and occur in cats of all ages throughout the world.
Other gastro-intestinal roundworms that may infect cats in various parts of the world include: Ollulanus tricuspis found in the stomach Gnathostoma spp Physaloptera spp Strongyloides spp Hookworms Hookworms are a type of small intestinal roundworm found in most countries throughout the world, but are more common in some countries than others.
Tapeworms Tapeworms are generally long flat worms composed of many segments. Common recommendations are to: Treat kittens for roundworms every 2 weeks from 3 weeks of age until 8 weeks of age, then monthly to 6 months of age Treat adult cats greater than 6 months of age every months Tapeworms are only usually a problem in older cats, unless a kitten also has fleas. Treat adult cats greater than 6 months of age every months with a product that is effective against both tapeworms and roundworms.
A product active against Dipylidium caninum should also be used in kittens that have flea infestations. Which worming products to use? Other worms In addition to intestinal worms, cats can be infected with a variety of other worms in other sites of the body, although often these worms are not present in all regions of the world. These include: Dirofilaria immitis — heartworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus — lungworm Capillaria spp — lungworm Thelazia callipaeda — eyeworm Thank you for visiting our website, we hope you have found our information useful.
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