繁體中文
It’s never good news if your cat has internal parasites. They are common and appear irrespective of age, breed or gender. Furthermore, they are very uncomfortable and troublesome, and make your cat irritable.
Internal parasites are found in the intestine, at the cardiopulmonary level or in other organs. What usually happens is that the cat that has parasites presents symptoms like chronic diarrhoea, fur in poor condition, weight loss, abdominal distension or vomiting. Parasitism can even affect nursing kittens because, if the mother is infested, she transmits the parasite to her kittens through the placenta and her milk. In order to avoid this, you should de-worm them if they are infected and then apply an appropriate anti-parasitic every three months.
PROTOZOANS
Giardia spp causes giardiasis. Its symptoms are diarrhoea, from acute to chronic, weight loss and general discomfort. There is a preventative vaccination that is given to kittens from 6 weeks old and is renewed annually.
El Toxoplasma gondii causa la toxoplasmosis, una infección que se adquiere principalmente por la ingestión de carne cruda o poco cocida, verduras y aguas contaminadas por las heces de gatos parasitados.
La Leishmania spp produce la leishmaniosis que afecta a perros, personas y otros mamíferos.
CESTODES
The two most typical are Taenia taeniformis and Dypilidium caninum. The first is transmitted to the cat by ingesting the raw meat of an infested animal, usually small rodents. Consequently, this kind of flat worm is found in cats that hunt. If Dypilidium caninum appears, you need to check for fleas in the home or surroundings. It is a tapeworm found in cats and dogs. The infection affects another cat when they ingest an infected flea during their daily licking.
A cat that is up-to-date with all their vaccinations and that is periodically administered antiparasitics, will be protected against parasites.
NEMATODES
The most common are from the Toxocara family: Toxocara cati and Toxocara leonina. Toxocara cati affect approximately 10% of adult dogs and cats, and up to 25% of puppies and kittens under three months. Toxocara leonina spends its whole cycle in the digestive system. There can be infestation from a mother to her kittens through lactation.
IMPORTANT
A cat that is up-to-date with all their vaccinations and that is periodically administered antiparasitics, will be protected against parasites; even more so if they also stay indoors. The majority of internal parasites are caught through the faecal-oral route. This can happen by touching contaminated soil and then not properly washing the hands afterwards. Humans can also transmit a parasite to their cat and the source of contagion can be the same: bad water, food that has not been adequately washed, contact with an infested animal and ingestion of infested meat, among other causes.