There are many reasons you don’t want your kitten to contract parasites. They can cause your cat to have a poor appetite and upset their stomach to the point of diarrhea or vomiting. Not to mention, they are just plain disgusting!
But there’s another serious reason you don’t want your cat to have parasites: they can actually pass to people. “Zoonosis” is the term your veterinarian will use to describe an animal disease that can affect people too. Not all parasites are zoonotic. But two of the worms cats can get—roundworms and hookworms—can infect people.
These worms aren’t going to cause the exact same issues in people as they do in cats. Because these worms are used to infecting cats, they get “lost” inside humans, never quite reaching the intestines. Instead, they end up in odd places inside the human body. That’s why people can have strange, wide-ranging symptoms from these worms, like a skin rash or a problem with vision, rather than an upset stomach.
Okay, so you’re probably really grossed out right about now. But the good news is that this is really easy to prevent! We’re here to give you some tips to keep your cat, you and your family safe from parasites:
- Keep your kitten on monthly heartworm prevention. Aside from protecting your pet from a life-threatening disease, heartworm preventives also target intestinal worms, giving you the peace of mind that your kitten is regularly being dewormed, so you’re not at risk.
- Consider getting fecal tests done on a routine basis. This can help you catch a worm problem before it becomes a long-standing issue. Your veterinarian can recommend how frequently this should be done based on the prevalence of parasites in your area and your kitten’s lifestyle.
- Clean your kitten’s litter box daily. Once a week, it’s recommended that you completely empty the litter box and wash it with soap and warm water. Always wash your hands after you handle your cat’s poop, even if you were using a scooper to do so.
- Keep your kitten indoors to prevent them from picking up parasites from wildlife or stray cats.
- Try your best to stop your cat from catching mice and other wildlife by keeping rodents and other animals out of the house.
- Don’t go barefoot in parks or on beaches that are frequented by stray dogs or cats.
- Keep children’s sandboxes covered when not in use to prevent neighborhood cats from using them as a litter box.
Learn more about tapeworm, another internal parasite that could affect your kitten.
