As a devoted cat parent, there’s nothing quite like the joy of watching your feline friend prance around the house with their tail held high, looking regal and adorable.
But wait—what’s that? A sudden itch? A suspicious little wiggle? Before you panic and start imagining an army of tiny monsters invading your home, let’s dive into the world of cat parasites.
It turns out that these pesky critters are more common than you’d think, but fear not! With a little knowledge and some proactive measures, we can keep our furry companions healthy and happy.
Understanding Common Cat Parasites
By the way, did you know there are several types of parasites that can hitch a ride on your beloved kitty? The two main categories are external parasites (like fleas and ticks) and internal parasites (such as worms). Let’s see what these unwelcome guests look like.
Fleas are perhaps the most notorious of all cat parasites. These tiny jumping nuisances don’t just bite; they can cause allergic reactions in some cats.
Have you ever seen your cat suddenly spring into action, scratching themselves like they’ve just won an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics? That could be flea-related!
On the other hand, ticks are another external foe that latch onto your pet’s skin. They’re not only gross but also potential carriers of diseases like Lyme disease.
Now moving inside—internal parasites often go unnoticed until it’s too late. Roundworms, for instance, might sound cute if you were naming stuffed animals—but trust me; they’re anything but cuddly when they invade your cat’s intestines!
Symptoms may include vomiting or weight loss despite a healthy appetite. And let’s not forget about tapeworms; if you’ve ever seen rice-like segments near your cat’s rear end (yikes!), congratulations—you’ve got yourself a tapeworm infestation!
Identifying Signs of Infestation
In my opinion, it is important to be able to identify the signs of parasitic invaders to ensure that Mr. Whiskers is in a good condition.
So, what should I be observing? For starters, notice if there are any changes with regard to their behavior or health. Is your favorite cat who always plays now quiet and losing weight for no reason? Maybe that signifies that something terrible is happening.
Now let’s talk about how cats’ grooming habits are! Cats like to groom themselves, it is one of their favorite things to do other than sleeping on the windowsill in the sun.
If you see more than the usual amount of grooming or your cat is biting its fur or skin, then it may be trying to get rid of fleas or something a little uncomfortable.
Also special mention: Diarrhea is unpleasant for everyone who is involved especially with children that come with visible worms in the stools!
Even more curious are some of the signs that will depend on the parasite that has invaded your furry friend’s body.
For example, in the beginning, there are no visible signs in adult cats but in kittens roundworms can be quite harsh, when ingested they compete for nutrients in the intestines causing a bloated belly.
Solutions for Ectoparasite
Given the circumstances, managing these stubborn issues shouldn’t feel too hard – all it takes is some work and a watchful eye!
The first step is appropriately reaching out to a veterinarian if you think any form of parasite invasion has taken place – after all, they’re the ones who aid all cat-related things!
Management procedures can be instituted as soon as an appropriate diagnosis is made through clinicoanamnestic data or through fecal floatation tests (indeed, that means harvesting poop samples!).
Once this has been established, the other necessary medications which have been residing at the host’s domicile will change fundamentally.
For example, if one is dealing with fleas or ticks, topical treatments that are administered once a month may be used, or, if one is dealing with internal worms, oral ointments that serve to eliminate the internal pests will be used.
On the topic of prevention – I’d like to mention – which I believe is better than cure- it would help if you start thinking up a strategy even before prevention measures are put in place.
Buying monthly tropical flea preventatives every month and practicing deworming times endorsed by vets, guarantees that those bad locusts won’t make a home out of your pet.
Maintaining Hygiene
Alternatively, when we talk about prevention it is not all about medications but creating an ecosystem that is less appealing for those parasites.
Begin by vacuuming your carpets and your furniture as well because as repulsive as it might sound, fleas tend to make those their hiding spots.
Also washing beddings is recommended for that whenever snuggling with a blanket, one would be able to sleep soundly without having the fear of fleas.
It is also worth buying decent litterboxes. This is important as having a clean house will prevent racoons from bringing in new pests, as critters like intestinal worms are sent around by their excrement. Cleaning outdoor areas will less attract wild animals who could bring in new bugs.
Finally, and this one is truly most rewarding for me at least, keeping notes and documents about common diseases caused by internal and external parasites will make things easy, come time of an annual medical check-up all required vaccinations would be taken care of the moment the opportunity strikes.
Suggested Resources:
Understanding Feline Parasites
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-parasites
Preventing Cat Fleas
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/preventing-flea-infestations-cats
Caring for Your Cat’s Health
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/cat-health