Signs Of Intestinal Parasites In Kittens

Kittens are commonly infected with roundworms tapeworms as well as protozoan infections such as coccidia.

Signs of intestinal parasites in kittens. It most commonly causes watery mucus based diarrhea in animals. Understanding the warning signs and symptoms of a parasite infection or infestation can save the life of your cat. They can cause life threatening anemia in adult cats and especially in kittens. With appropriate and prompt.

Roundworms toxascaris leonina and toxocara cati are the most common intestinal parasite of cats affecting 25 to 75 of cats with higher rates in kittens. They cannot be seen so your cat s behavior is your only signal that something is wrong. 3 min read. Coccidiosis is a parasitic type of infection caused by the coccidia parasite.

Testing your kitten for intestinal parasites involves a laboratory examination of a poop stool sample. This can be done at a veterinarian or at home. If it is not treated over time it can cause damage to the lining of a cat s intestinal tract. They can also affect your pet s ability to thrive as they leach vital nutrients from your furry pal.

All kittens should be treated for common parasites such as roundworms and hookworms at 2 4 and 6 weeks of age. Causes of parasites in cats. However they may cause severe complications in young kittens and immuno compromised cats. Since intestinal parasites reside in the pet s intestinal tract they are known to cause diarrhea and other stool related issues.

All pets can help you identify the source of the intestinal parasite once we classify the type it is. Cecilia de cardenas jan 13 2009 share this. Intestinal parasites in cats are frequent and they may be microscopic or larger they will feed on the cat s nutrients and will lodge in the gastrointestinal tract. Adult female worms produce fertile eggs.

Intestinal parasite coccidia in cats. Catching these parasitic infections early on is key to a fast recovery. The cause of intestinal parasites in cats will vary depending on the type of parasite. Gi parasites are a very common ailment in kittens and should be combatted through standard preventative measures and proactive treatment as needed.

Some parasites involve no visible infection. Some of the most common intestinal parasites include the tapeworm the roundworms the hookworms stomach worms or microscopic parasites such as the coccidia or giardia. Intestinal parasitosis is probably one of the main reasons why we go to the veterinary practice with our cats especially when we have just adopted a young kitten. Much smaller than roundworms hookworms are usually less than 1 long and live in cats small intestines.

Adult roundworms are three to five inches long cream colored and live in the cat s intestine where they don t attach to the intestinal walls and survive by eating food ingested by the host. If your pet has intestinal parasites you may notice some of these signs. Typically parasites will not be fatal. The most common intestinal parasites in cats roundworms measure about 3 4 long and resemble spaghetti yuck hookworms.

The presence of what we commonly know as worms in their feces is enough to diagnose their presence but there are some less striking symptoms such as a coarse coat and abdominal distention.