CATS

ROUNDWORM

Toxocara cati

Toxocara cati (Roundworm) can infect cats of all ages however, kittens can be infected from the mother’s milk, causing heavy infestation and serious clinical disease. There is another roundworm species, Toxascaris leonina, that can infect cats through the ingestion of embryonated eggs from the soil and carrier hosts.

LUNGWORM

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

Adult stages of this parasite reside in the arteries of the lungs and the right side of the heart. Symptoms of early infection can vary but include: coughing, anaemia, depression, anorexia, prolonged bleeding from minor injuries. Pnemonia can develop leading to anorexia and weight loss and in severe infections, right sided heart failure and sudden death can occur.

Cats get infected with lungworm through ingesting the intermediate host of slugs, snails and frogs.

If you suspect your cat is infected, de-worming products for lungworm are only available by prescription and supply from a vet.

HOOKWORM

Ancylostoma spp.

Hookworms are capable of penetrating the skin of the cat to make their way to the intestine. This penetration can cause dermatitis and irritation of the skin. When present in high numbers, these parasites can cause anaemia and weight loss in cats.

TAPEWORM

Diplydium caninum, Taenia spp., Mesocestoides spp. Echinococcus multicularis

There are a number of tapeworm species that can infect cats.

Dipylidium caninum
The most common is Dipylidium whose intermediate host is that of the flea. Segments of the adult tapeworm can be seen crawling out of the cat’s anus, like a white caterpillar. These segments contain tapeworm eggs and the fleas in the environment eat these eggs. These eggs hatch into tiny cysts in the flea. The cat can then ingest these fleas whilst grooming and can get infected with Dipylidium.


Taenia taeniaeformis
Cats can get infected with this species by ingesting larvae that are present within rodents.

Mesocestoides spp.
Cats can get infected with this species through the ingestion of larval stages in meat or tissues.

Echinococcus species
Echinococcus multicularis can infect humans causing alveolar echinoccosis. Infections can result in the formation of cysts, most commonly in the liver and if untreated can have potentially fatal consequences. This species is not endemic to the UK so risk to your cat should be relatively low.

KITTENS

Kittens should receive a dose with a wormer at 3 weeks of age to treat for Toxocara cati. It is currently recommended that the kittens then receive a dose every 2 weeks until 2 weeks post-weaning.

PREGNANT QUEENS

Queens should be dosed at the same time as their kittens' first treatment. This is to reduce the risk of infecting the kittens with any parasites that may be present within the Queen.

ADULT CATS

In cases of increased risk (such as a catteries or households where there are children) monthly treatment can minimise the risk of patent infections and the excretion of infective parasite stages, as the prepatent period for Toxocara spp. is a little more than four weeks.

As an alternative to repeated treatments, faecal examinations (Worm Egg Counts) can be performed at suitable intervals from monthly to three monthly.