Common Parasites of Cats
Parasite | Transmission | Effect on Health |
|---|---|---|
Roundworms and hookworms | Directly through ingestion of eggs in feces, or larvae pass through placenta or milk | Damage to digestive tract and loss of nutrients; migrating roundworm larvae in people can affect young children and people with a weakened immune system; hookworms can cause skin lesions or infections in people with a weakened immune system |
Tapeworms | Ingestion of secondary hosts, such as fleas or prey animals (for example, mice) | Loss of nutrients |
Flukes or lungworms | Ingestion of secondary hosts found near water (for example, snails or tadpoles) | Damage to lungs, liver, or intestines |
Intestinal protozoa (for example, coccidia or Toxoplasma) | Ingestion of eggs in feces or infective cysts in prey animals | Gastrointestinal damage in cats; infection of pregnant women (toxoplasmosis) can potentially result in serious injury to fetus, young children, or immunocompromised individuals |
Heartworm | Passed by infected mosquitoes, especially in southeastern US | Damage to blood vessels of the lungs, the lungs themselves, and the heart |
Fleas, ticks, and mites | Passed directly outdoors or from other infected cats in household (for example, mother to kitten) | Skin damage, itching, secondary skin infection, ear infection (ear mites), flea allergy, tapeworms (fleas), and secondary bloodborne diseases (for example, infectious anemia transmitted by fleas or ticks) |
Cuterebra (fly larvae) | Contact with fly larvae near rodent or rabbit burrows | Unsightly lumps on head or neck; secondary infections under the skin |