Common Cat Parasites: A Comprehensive Guide

Cat Fleas

Fleas are common external parasites found on cats, especially in stray animals. Even a few fleas can cause immense discomfort to a cat. These parasites can transmit diseases, including those that affect both cats and humans, such as canine heartworm and tapeworms. They can also lead to allergic dermatitis, transmit feline distemper, and cause other issues like anemia, paralysis, and even death. It's crucial to ensure that cats are not allowed to roam freely to prevent the spread of fleas. Fleas can be treated with pesticides such as deltamethrin, amitraz, and fenvalerate (but not suitable for cats). Additionally, it's essential to isolate the cat and clean the environment thoroughly, using vacuum cleaners to reduce the flea population and eggs.

Jumping Fleas

Jumping fleas are a common external pest that can be found on cats, particularly in feral cats. Cats can become extremely uncomfortable with just a few fleas. These fleas can spread tapeworms, heartworms, and can lead to allergic dermatitis, as well as transmit feline distemper. It's vital to deworm any newly adopted cat to prevent these issues. Flea feces, which are often found as small black spots on a cat, can be tested by placing them on a cotton ball soaked in soap and water. If a red spot forms, it indicates flea feces, which contain a lot of blood.

Flea control involves using treatments like deltamethrin, amitraz, chlorpyrifos, permethrin, and fenvalerate. It's also important to isolate the cat and clean the environment, as vacuuming can significantly reduce the flea and egg population. Fleas have a life cycle of 2 weeks to several months, so regular deworming is crucial.

Cat Lice

Lice are another common external parasite found on cats, known as cat lice. These lice do not feed on blood but instead consume the cat's epidermal material. They are not contagious to humans and are the only type of louse that affects cats. However, if there is a heavy infestation, combined with poor living conditions, malnutrition, and overcrowding, it can lead to louse disease, which can be fatal in severe cases. Treatment for lice includes selamectin and pyriproxyfen, which are highly effective.

Cat Mites

Cats can host various mites, such as ear mites, scabies mites, anal mites, demodex mites, and cheyletiella mites. Each type of mite has its own characteristics and symptoms.

Ear Mites

Ear mites, also known as ear mange, are tiny parasites that live in the skin of a cat's external ear canal. They feed on the skin scales and lymph fluid from the surface of the skin, causing redness, swelling, and infection in the ear canal and surrounding skin. The life cycle of ear mites is about 21 days, and they can survive away from the host for a few days, so a clean environment is essential to prevent reinfection.

Scabies Mites

Scabies mites cause severe itching in cats, leading to hair loss, vesicular papules, erythema, crusts, and desquamation of the skin. They can be transmitted to cats, dogs, and humans and require a dermatological scraping examination for diagnosis.

Anal Mites

Anal mites are a type of mite that can affect cats, dogs, and humans. Infected cats typically show symptoms on the inner edge of the ear, which then spread to the entire ear, face, paws, hind legs, and buttocks. They cause itching, dermatitis, gray crusts, hair loss, pustular dermatitis, and thickening and keratinization of the skin.

Demodex Mites

Demodex mites generally cause dermatitis on the head and ear canals, although they are less common in cats. They are primarily found on the skin surface and can cause mild nonsuppurative dermatitis.

Brachypelea Mites

Brachypelea mites are found on the skin surface and cause mild nonsuppurative dermatitis. They are not usually associated with significant damage in cats but are known for their tendency to bite humans. Treatment includes selamectin, which is effective against all types of mites on cats, as well as ivermectin, and local applications of pyriproxyfen and moxidectin. For ear mite treatment, selamectin, ivermectin, and praziquantel suspension can be used topically.

It's important to deworm cats regularly, as the life cycle of scabies mites is 1721 days, and ear mites have a life cycle of 34 weeks.

Cat Tapeworms

Tapeworms are common internal parasites found in both cats and humans. These parasites have no digestive organs and absorb all nutrients through their body wall, which is why they are flat and long. Some tapeworms can grow extremely long, up to 3.6 meters in the human intestines. Tapeworms require at least 23 hosts to complete their life cycle, with the final host being the one where the adult or sexual reproductive stage occurs.

While tapeworms generally do not cause clinical symptoms, the most common sign in cats is anal itching, leading to cats dragging their bottoms on the ground. The most common tapeworms in cats are the dog and intermediate tapeworms, which are usually transmitted through the ingestion of infected fleas and small mammals. Regular deworming and preventing cats from roaming freely are essential to prevent tapeworm infections.

Cat Roundworms

Roundworms, including ascarids, hookworms, and heartworms, are wellknown parasites. Specific names, symptoms, and treatment methods are listed below. For deworming schedules, I recommend following the deworming medication instructions: external deworming is not necessary without a source of infection; internal deworming once a year.

Some cat owners may argue, "My cat never goes outside, so it doesn't need frequent deworming." or "Deworming medications are so frequent; they must be harmful, and veterinarians just want to make money." However, did you know that parasites are one of the most preventable diseases in cats? As veterinarians and public health professionals, we still recommend deworming cats at the lowest cost to maximize social benefits and minimize the risk of transmitting any parasites. Additionally, the side effects of deworming medications are negligible, as these products undergo animal testing before being marketed, and adverse effects are very small when used as directed.

It is important to think rationally about these matters and make your own informed decisions.