Parasites and Your Kitten

Fleas

Fleas will live on your cat and feed every 5 minutes. As you can imagine being bitten so very often is quite uncomfortable for your pet. Signs of fleas can be itching, skin issues, poor coat, and in young pets, we have seen anemia (not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen).

Intestinal Worms

Intestinal worms live in the bowel or intestines of the pet. Some worms will take the nourishment your pet is supposed to be getting from their food and others will feed on blood from your pet. Kittens are often born with worms, as they are passed in their mothers’ milk. Cats can also get intestinal worms from sniffing stool on the ground, eating rodents and soil that has been contaminated by other infected animals. Your kitten will be dewormed multiple times to ensure she is clear of parasites.

Ticks

Ticks are parasites that feed on blood. They like to wait in long grass and wooded areas waiting for you or your pet to walk by. When a host gets close enough the tick grabs on to the fur and begins her task of finding the perfect spot to feed. Ticks often choose the face, ears or between the pads of the paws. Ticks are most active in the spring and fall. The ideal temperature for a tick is 4 – 10 degrees. They are out in the summer but tend to stay in shaded areas. Lyme disease does not seem to affect cats.

Prevention

We recommend putting your cat on a Flea/Tick prevention 12 months of the year if it is going outside. There are many products available, your veterinarian will make a recommendation as to what will work best for your pet’s lifestyle.

All these parasites are treatable, but even better, we can prevent them with a simple once a month medication that we will discuss and recommend over your next few kitten appointments.