Cat Parasite Infection: Common Routes & Prevention

Maternal Transmission

When a mother cat is infected with parasites, certain species can transmit the infection to the fetus through the placenta, such as the larvae of roundworms and hookworms. Kittens can also acquire parasites from their mother's milk, for example, Toxoplasma gondii.

Oral Infection

Parasites can enter a cat's body through the mouth, either by ingesting infective eggs or larvae while eating or drinking, or by consuming hosts carrying parasites, such as cockroaches, fleas, rodents, and sparrows.

Even cats that never leave the house can carry parasites if they consume cat food that contains eggs of parasites. Pet food is merely feed, not food, and can harbor parasites.

It's often puzzling that despite a clean and hygienic home environment and pure drinking water, cats can still become infected with parasites.

Skin Infection

Some parasitic larvae can directly penetrate a cat's skin, enter its body, and move to the site of寄生, such as hookworm larvae.

Hookworms prefer soil and may crawl onto grass to find hosts. They can pierce the skin through a cat's paw pads, causing skin larvae migration syndrome.

Intermediate Host Transmission

Parasites can also be transmitted through intermediate hosts, such as mosquitoes that can spread heartworm larvae. The intermediate hosts for heartworms include various mosquitoes like the Chinese Anopheles, Aedes albopictus, and Culex pipiens.

Cats can become infected by being bitten by mosquitoes carrying infective larvae. Adult heartworms then reside in the right heart and pulmonary arteries of dogs, cats, and humans, producing larvae that circulate in the blood. When a mosquito bites an infected dog or cat, it carries the larvae, which transform into infective juvenile worms in the mosquito's saliva glands. These larvae can then infect other dogs, cats, and humans through further mosquito bites.

Fleas are often hosts for tapeworms, and if a cat is infested with fleas, the likelihood of tapeworm infection is also high.

Contact Infection

Healthy cats can contract parasites by direct contact with infected cats, such as through mites, lice, and fleas.

Indirect Contact Infection

Parasites can survive in the external environment for some time, such as mites and fleas on cats. These parasites can survive for a considerable period in the cat's used items.

If these items are not disinfected and used by healthy cats, the parasites can be transmitted to them.

Cats raised indoors are also susceptible to parasitic infections. It's essential to recognize the signs or symptoms of parasitic infections in cats so that you can respond promptly.

Keep in mind that external parasites can be carriers of internal parasites. An infection with external parasites may be a sign of an internal parasitic infection. When treating, it's crucial to consider both internal and external parasites simultaneously for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to treatment.