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Parasites are a natural part of owning a cat. You’re bound to encounter one or more of them throughout the lifetime of your pet. Some are more dangerous than others. Many pests are simply exactly that--pests.
You’ll know when your pet has a parasite. Your cat will have diarrhea for an extended period of time, some vomiting, will eat grass, won’t have as much energy as it does normally, will be bloated, its skin will be dry and have dandruff, will lose some weight, be a bit irritable, and may have runny eyes. If you think your pet has a parasite, you should call your vet and find out what she would recommend.
Hookworms are one of the most common types of parasites found in cats. They are somewhat like leeches in that they attach to your cat’s intestines and suck the blood from your cat. They are tiny creatures and your cat can get them from sniffing around in another cat’s feces that is infected or from hookworms that attach themselves to the bottom of your cat’s feet and enter through the skin. If your cat has hookworms, chances are it also has anemia from having the blood sucked out of it. You should take your cat to the vet and get proper treatment.
Roundworms are the most common parasites found in kittens. They can be about half a foot in length and they infest your cat’s intestines. You’ll know when your cat has roundworms, because your cat will develop what appears to be sort of a third eyelid forming on its eyes. Roundworms also cause diarrhea and a potbelly in your cat. Your cat likely gets roundworms from eating things it shouldn’t that are infected with the worms. You can try to prevent roundworms by making sure your pet has plenty to eat to keep it from wanting to sniff around and find something. You need to take your cat to the vet to try and get treatment for roundworms.
Other internal parasites that are fairly common in cats include eye worms (worms found in the eye of your cat that need to be removed only under anesthesia), flukes (worms that get into the lungs and liver of your cat), and urinary worms (parasites that are difficult to diagnose but cause an infection in your cat’s bladder).
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