Parasitic Infection in Cats

Symptoms of a parasitic infection in a cat could be numerous or non-existent, depending on the severity of the infestation and the type of parasite infecting the cat. Some parasites, such as tapeworms, fleas or ticks, are large enough to spot on the feline or within the fecal matter. Other parasitic infections can be spotted through a feline’s symptoms including: 

• Weight loss despite normal or increased food intake
• Anorexia
• Poor hair coat
• Alopecia (hair loss)
• Scratching of the ears  
• Dirty ears 
• Red, irritated skin
• Itchy, scratchy skin
• Skin lesions 
• Vomiting 
• Diarrhea
• Coughing 
• Slow heartbeat

Types

Internal Parasitic infection

• Roundworms (intestinal parasite)
• Hookworms (intestinal parasite) 
• Tapeworms (intestinal parasite) 
• Lungworms (lung parasite)
• Heartworms (heart parasite) 

External 

• Fleas: adult fleas are found on the skin of a cat, feeding on the cat’s blood and laying eggs to be shed in the environment. Fleas are an intermediate carrier of the internal parasite, the tapeworm. 
• Ticks: ticks attached to the skin, feeding on blood and reproducing. Ticks are also a carrier of Lyme disease, infecting the cat during their blood meal. 
• Mites: mites can live within a feline’s hair follicle, on the skin or in the ears.  
• Lice: lice live within the fur of a cat. 

The exact cause of a parasitic infection in cats depends on the type of parasite the feline is infected with. External and internal parasites can infect any feline, however, cats with poor immunity, that live outdoors, are very old or very young, or live in poor conditions are more prone to an infestation. 

External parasites usually infect a feline during the warmer parts of the year, when the eggs hatch in the environment. Fleas, ticks, mites, and lice latch onto the cat when she goes walks through tall grass, climbs a tree, or comes into contact with another infected feline. 

Internal parasites can be transmitted to a feline through a flea bite (tapeworms), mosquito bite (heartworms), ingestion of contaminated meat (tapeworm/roundworm), drinking contaminated water, coming into contact with contaminated feces or cleaning of the paws after being outdoors (whipworms).

The diagnosis of a parasitic infection can be done through an examination of the blood, feces or urine of a feline. The exact diagnostic test depends on the type of parasite the feline is infected with, but your veterinarian may choose to perform:

• A heartworm Test: the veterinarian will require a small blood sample to be placed in the snap-down heartworm test. Results of this test appear within minutes. 
• A fecal flotation: the veterinarian will require a fresh fecal sample to dilute and view under the microscope. 
• A urinalysis: a small urine sample will be taken from the cat to be analyzed. 
• Skin scraping: a test used to detect mites.
• Flea comb: a specialized comb used to collect flea dander (flea feces). 
• Physical exam