Worms

Worms are common in outdoor cats and those who are regularly exposed to dirt where other animals defecate.

Internal parasites are most likely to cause issues in kittens and cats that do not receive regular preventative health treatment.

The most prevalent internal parasites in cats are roundworms.

Cats can become infected in a variety of ways.

Nursing kittens can obtain roundworms through an infected mother's milk, whereas adult cats can get them by eating eggs from an infected cat's feces.

Hookworms, which feed on an animal's blood, can cause life-threatening anemia, particularly in kittens.

Hookworm eggs are transferred in feces and hatch into larvae, and a cat can become infected through eating or skin contact.

Tapeworms are acquired by consuming an infected host, such as an infected flea or rodent.

Tapeworm segments-actual fragments of the worm that resemble grains of rice-can often be spotted on the fur near a cat's hind end when it is infected.

Lungworms live in a cat's lungs.

Many cats will show no signs of lungworms, but others will develop a cough.

Snails and slugs are common intermediate hosts for this parasite, although cats typically become infected by eating a bird or rodent that has consumed an intermediate host.