Identifying Cat Parasites: Key Signs & Symptoms

Young kittens often acquire parasites from their mother's milk, while adult cats may occasionally ingest worm eggs or even consume insects infected with parasites, such as cockroaches. Cats are relatively susceptible to parasites, so it's crucial to recognize the warning signs to address the issue promptly.

How can you tell if a cat has parasites?

Cat External Parasites

Identifying external parasites on cats is relatively straightforward. You can usually spot fleas, lice, ticks, mange mites, demodex mites, and ear mites with the naked eye.

What are the signs of a cat infected with external parasites?

The most significant sign of a cat infected with external parasites is itching. If you notice your cat frequently scratching or biting its fur, it's a red flag. Cats often suffer from fleas and other parasites, so it's essential to initiate a deworming plan immediately to prevent the problem from worsening.

Without prompt treatment or if the cat's abnormalities go unnoticed, the following issues may arise.

Skin Damage

The skin may sustain damage due to the parasites moving around or biting, or from scratching that leads to infection. The characteristic is skin breakage, redness, and swelling.

Loss of Hair

Hair loss can occur due to skin damage or from the cat's scratching. You can visibly notice hair loss in cats.

Lice on Cats

Lice are found on the cat's body, close to the skin, and are typically fleshcolored or white. They can be difficult to spot, but they are more noticeable than fleas. Lice can cause skin inflammation in cats, leading to hair loss and ringworm if severe.

Worm Eggs in Fur

When grooming your cat, if you find white worm eggs in the fur, it's a sign of a parasite infection. Flea eggs are often grainy and white in appearance.

Black Granules in Fur

There may be many black granules in the fur, especially around the roots. These are actually flea feces, primarily composed of digested cat blood. If you place these black specks in water, they will dissolve into red, indicating the presence of fleas, and even suggesting the possibility of tapeworms, as fleas are often the intermediate hosts for tapeworms.

Be cautious not to squash fleas on your cat with your fingernails. When you do, the flea's body and the tapeworm eggs inside can fly out and stick to your hands or clothes, potentially leading to tapeworm infection in humans.

Ticks

Spring and summer are peak tick seasons, with these pests thriving in lush environments like grassy fields and shrubs. Ticks that have bitten your cat may not cause pain or itching, making it difficult for the cat to detect them. You might see a small, beansized blood blister, which is actually a tick.

After being bitten, the skin may occasionally become red, itchy, and swollen, but these are not the primary symptoms. It's challenging to detect ticks.

After infection, cats may show signs of lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, and darker urine, with a certain chance of contracting babesiosis. If you're experienced, you can use a cat's external deworming medication to drop into the blood blister, causing the tick to fall off naturally. Do not pull ticks out forcibly. You can also take your cat to a veterinary clinic for treatment.

Cat Internal Parasites

The main internal parasites in cats include hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, heartworms, and toxoplasmosis.

Internal parasites are not easy to detect, but you can identify them through certain symptoms:

Fur Loss

If your cat's fur appears dull and lacks luster, it may be due to malnutrition or poor nutrient absorption.

If you've ruled out dietary issues and the quality of cat food, you should suspect a parasitic infection.

Pale Gums

Healthy cats have pink gums, similar to humans.

If your cat's gums are pale or white, it may be a sign of anemia, which is highly likely due to a parasitic infection.

How to Check Gums

Place your cat on your lap or a table, hold its front paws, bend them, and support the cat's chin. Use your thumb to pull down the lower lip, and use your other hand's fingertips to lift the upper lip, exposing the gums above the teeth.

Dark Stools

Check your cat's feces for diarrhea, which may be due to parasites disrupting the digestive process. Dark, tarlike stools may indicate bleeding caused by hookworms attaching to the intestinal walls.

Repeated Vomiting

Frequent vomiting may suggest a parasitic issue. It could be due to parasites irritating the stomach lining or blocking part of the stomach's output space.

Loss of Appetite

Observe your cat's eating habits. If it shows signs of disinterest in food, reduced appetite, or weight loss, it may be related to parasites. This could be due to inflammation of the intestinal walls, stomach pain, or parasites taking up space in the intestines.

Abdominal Swelling

If your cat's belly appears swollen, it may not be due to pregnancy. It could be due to abdominal pain caused by parasites, leading to swelling.

Lethargy

Cats may appear listless and sleepy if parasites are stealing nutrients from the intestines, leaving them without the necessary energy. However, there are many causes of drowsiness, so you need to analyze the situation based on the circumstances.

White Worms or Eggs Found

Look for white worm eggs or worm segments the size of sesame seeds or cucumber seeds in your cat's feces, anal area, or activity zones. Finding flat, creamcolored segments or a mass resembling spaghetti can indicate a parasitic infection.

What to Do If You Find Your Cat Infected with Parasites

Contact an online veterinarian to prescribe medication based on the symptoms.

If you're still unsure, you can visit a nearby veterinary clinic for an antigen test, fecal examination, or blood smear.