Fleas
Only adult fleas live on the cat; their eggs drop off and the larvae develop in beds, carpets and gaps in furniture. That is why even a cat that never goes out can have fleas: a dog, other animals or people's clothes bring them in. In a heated home fleas breed all year round.
A cat that swallows a flea can pick up a tapeworm, and many fleas can make a young kitten anaemic. Fleas can bite people too.
How to check
A cat can groom its fleas away so thoroughly that you will not find any. Part the coat at the base of the tail and on the neck and look for black specks: on damp white paper flea droppings turn reddish.
Small scabs on the neck and back or a thinning coat can also be a sign of fleas.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if you find fleas or their droppings, or if your cat keeps scratching, overgrooms or is losing fur. If a kitten has fleas and pale gums, have it seen promptly.
Intestinal worms
Kittens can pick up roundworms through their mother's milk; adult cats get them by eating prey or swallowing eggs from their surroundings. A cat gets tapeworm by swallowing a flea or eating a mouse. Worms have no season, and a cat that hunts outdoors meets them more than an indoor cat.
The eggs of some cat worms can infect people too, children especially, when they play in sandpits or the garden.
How to check
An adult cat can carry worms with no signs at all, so seeing none does not mean there are none. A stool test shows whether there are, and a worm or a piece of one you find is worth showing to a vet.
Your vet will tell you how regularly your cat needs a check and protection against worms.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if you see worms or segments like grains of rice in the stool, vomit or around the bottom, or if your cat loses weight while eating. If a kitten vomits, has diarrhoea, a swollen belly or is growing poorly, have it seen promptly.
Ear mites
Ear mites live in the ear canal and feed on the skin surface and ear wax. They cause intense itching and spread easily through close contact between cats, dogs and other animals, especially kittens and animals from shelters.
Ear mites have no season. If one pet in the home has them, it is worth checking all of them.
How to check
Look into your cat's ear: a dark, dry discharge like coffee grounds and scratched scabs behind the ears can be a sign of mites. The mites themselves are almost invisible to the naked eye, so a vet is the one to identify them.
Do not clean deep into the ears before a vet has examined them.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if your cat shakes its head and scratches its ears and you see a dark discharge in them. If the ear flap has swollen or your cat holds its head tilted, have it seen promptly.
Ticks
Ticks attach to cats too, especially cats that go outdoors, hunt or live in the countryside. In Lithuania ticks are active from early spring, as soon as it warms up, until late autumn.
Your vet will tell you whether and how to protect your cat from ticks. Never use a tick product meant for dogs on a cat.
How to check
When your cat comes in from outside, run your hands over its coat and check the head, ears, neck and armpits especially carefully.
Ask your vet how to remove a tick properly.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if your cat turns dull, stops eating or runs a fever after a tick bite, or if the bite has swollen and does not heal.
Kinds of protection
Parasite protection for cats comes in several forms. All of them are veterinary products, and which one suits your cat depends on its age, weight, health and whether it goes outdoors, so your vet will help you choose.
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Spot-on drops
A liquid applied to the skin on the back of the neck, where the cat cannot lick it off. Some protect against fleas and ticks, others against some worms as well.
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Tablets
Given by mouth: some protect against fleas, others against intestinal worms. An option for cats that dislike drops.
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Collar
A collar that slowly spreads its active substance through the coat. It has to be made for cats and fit well.
Use only products made for cats. Tick and flea products meant for dogs can be poisonous to cats, even when the cat only cuddles up to a dog that has just had one applied.
You will find products against fleas, ticks and worms in this category. This is not a treatment: your vet will advise which suits your cat. Never use a product meant for dogs on a cat.
Antiparasitic products for cats 175 productsWhat to do
- If your cat goes outdoors, check it for ticks when it comes back.
- Now and then check the coat for fleas or their droppings.
- Ask your vet about flea and worm protection, even if your cat never goes out.
- Use only products made for cats.
- If you find parasites on one animal, ask about protection for every pet in the home.
- Wash your hands after gardening or playing in a sandpit.
When to contact a vet straight away
Contact a vet straight away if a product meant for dogs has been put on your cat, or it has cuddled up to a dog that has just had one, and it starts trembling, twitching or walking unsteadily. Have a kitten seen promptly too if it has fleas or worms and vomits, has diarrhoea or has pale gums.
Sources
- International Cat Care: Fleas and flea control in cats (icatcare.org)
- International Cat Care: Permethrin poisoning (icatcare.org)
- National Public Health Centre (Lithuania): Tick-borne diseases (nvsc.lrv.lt)
- ESCCAP: control of ectoparasites in dogs and cats (www.esccap.org)