When the weather warms up, parasites thrive so it’s important that you make sure your cat is protected from picking up any nasty hangers-on. The main parasites that affect cats are fleas, worms and ticks. Find out how to keep your pet safe with our handy guide.

Fleas

What are they?

Fleas are tiny jumping insects, about 1-2mm in length, that feed on the blood of a host animal. They multiply at an incredible rate with female fleas laying up to 40 eggs every day.

How do cats get them?

Any cat that spends time outdoors is likely to come into contact with fleas at some point. They can be picked up from other cats and dogs, as well as from the environment. Even cats that spend all their time indoors can get fleas if they are inadvertently brought into the home by another pet, or on the shoes or clothes of human inhabitants.

How do you know if your cat has them?

The most obvious sign that a cat has fleas is if they are scratching a lot. If your cat is allergic to flea saliva you might notice that they develop red sore areas where they have been over-grooming themselves. You might also have noticed flea bites on yourself around your ankles and lower legs.

One way to confirm the presence of fleas is to look for flea dirt on your cat. This is flea faeces that is made up of dried blood. Comb your cat and if any black specks come off the coat, transfer these to a piece of white kitchen towel. Sprinkle a little water on it and if it turns reddish-brown in colour you can be confident you are dealing with fleas.

How do you get rid of them?

The tricky thing about fleas is that by the time you notice them on your cat, quite often your home will already be infested. In fact, 95% of the infestation will be in your home, not on your cat!

To get on top of an infestation you must treat all animals in your home at the same time as well as your carpets, furnishings and bedding to ensure no eggs are left behind to hatch. If you don’t get all the fleas at once, reinfestation is sure to occur and then you’ll find yourself back at square one.

There are lots of ways to get rid of fleas including spot-on treatments, tablets, flea collars and coat sprays, as well as a range of products for the home. Speak to your vet about what treatments would be best suited to your pet. It is important to note that some dog flea treatments contain an insecticide called permethrin which is safe for dogs but highly poisonous to cats. To be safe, only ever use flea products on your cat that are designed for cats.

How do you prevent them?

You should treat your cat on a monthly basis for fleas with a product recommended by your vet. In addition to this, it is helpful to vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture frequently to remove any fleas and eggs. Bedding, rugs and cushions should be washed at 60 degrees C or hotter to kill any fleas living on it.

Worms

What are they?

The two intestinal worms that most commonly affect cats are roundworms and tapeworms. Roundworms are long, thin and white while tapeworms are long and flat in appearance. Both worms sit in a cat’s gut and survive by digesting the food a cat eats.

How do cats get them?

Cats can pick up worms from other infected animals or by eating infected faeces, grass or prey animals. Tapeworm eggs can also be carried by fleas so if your cat ingests a flea while grooming, they could end up with a tapeworm in their gut.

How do you know if your cat has them?

A cat that is constantly hungry but is losing weight and has a distended stomach could have worms. You might also notice your cat dragging their hind quarters along the carpet if worms are irritating their bottom. It is possible that you might notice bits of worm in the stool, around the anus or even in the cat’s bed.

How do you get rid of them?

Intestinal worms are easy to get rid of using a worming product recommended by your vet. These are usually oral or spot-on treatments.

How do you prevent them?

Cats should be routinely wormed every three months to ensure they stay worm free. If your cat is a hunter, they may need worming more often due to the risk of picking up worms from their prey.

Ticks

What are they?

Ticks are spider-like parasites that attach themselves to host animals and feed off their blood. They are commonly found in woodland and long grass but can also be found in gardens in areas with lots of wildlife – especially deer, hedgehogs and rabbits.

How do cats get them?

Ticks don’t jump or fly but wait in long grass for a host animal to walk past before climbing or dropping on to them.

How do you know if your cat has them?

Ticks can be quite tricky to spot when they are tiny but when engorged with blood, they can become the size of a baked bean. You should check your cat over for ticks regularly, paying particular attention to their head, neck, ears and feet as this is where ticks most commonly attach themselves. It is a good idea to build a tick check into your grooming routine so that it becomes a habit. A tick will feel like a small bump on your pet’s skin and look a little bit like a pink or light brown skin tag.

How do you get rid of them?

If you spot a tick on your cat, you should remove it as soon as possible as they can carry nasty diseases that can pass on to your pet – although this is more common in dogs than cats.

You should never try to remove a tick by pulling, squeezing or crushing it. This can result in part of the tick being left inside of your cat’s body and could become infected. Instead, you should ‘unscrew’ the tick using a handy and inexpensive tick hook available from most pet stores.

Slide the tick hook as close to your cat’s skin as possible and twist it slowly without pulling until the tick comes away.

How do you prevent them?

Tick treatments that will kill ticks if they attach to your cat are available as spot-ons or collars. You should speak to your vet about what product would best suit your pet. Again, you should not use tick treatments designed for dogs because they may contact permethrin, which is highly poisonous to cats.

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