Is it necessary to deworm a domestic cat if it does not go outside: what veterinarians say

As you know, veterinarians advise giving animals anthelmintic drugs regularly, once every 3 months, to kill existing parasites at the time of administration. Regular deworming is part of parasite control.

But owners wonder if this is really the case, and is it necessary to give medications so often to a cat that lives at home and does not go outside?

To understand this, you need to know what main types of helminths cats can be infected with, how the infection process occurs, and how anthelmintic drugs affect the animal's body.

Types of helminths in domestic cats

The main endoparasites (helminths) of cats belong to two types: roundworms (nematodes, ascarids, hookworms) and flatworms (trematodes, cestodes, tapeworms and tapeworms).

The most common helminths in cats are roundworms. These worms can reach 5 centimeters in length, but sometimes they are longer. They live mainly in the small intestine.

In large numbers, they can cause blockage and mechanical intestinal obstruction.

Their waste products are very toxic to cats, so the lack of timely deworming can be life-threatening for your pet.

Ways of infection

There are several ways in which a domestic cat can become infected with helminths:

Ectoparasites are carriers of helminth eggs. Adult fleas live on animals and feed on their blood. This is their main habitat. What is true is that most of the flea life cycle (eggs, larvae, pupae) occurs in the environment (in carpets, cracks, bedding, basements, etc.). But adult fleas are on the animal. Fleas are a big problem in apartment buildings. Therefore, even a cat that has lived at home all its life can suffer from flea bites. An animal becomes infected with helminths by eating a flea carrier.

Eating uncooked meat or fish by an animal. This danger lies in wait for those cats whose owners feed them natural food. Parasite eggs may be present in raw meat or fish.

Contact with street shoes and clothing. Without even realizing it, the cat owner brings home a huge number of eggs of various parasites on his own shoes every day. By contacting this shoes or clothing, the cat can become infected with helminths.

Contact with other animals. Some homes may house both cats and dogs. Walking a dog also increases the risk of the cat becoming infected with worms, as the animals will inevitably come into contact with each other.

Infection at birth. In some cases, infection with worms occurs from the mother in the first weeks of life during feeding. Therefore, the owner of such a kitten, living at home all his life, may not even suspect that he has worms.

The effect of anthelmintic drugs on the animal's body

Considering the development cycles of helminths, veterinarians note that it is necessary to deworm animals regularly, once a quarter.

The misconception about the effect of anthelmintics on the liver has arisen because if the drug is taken by an animal with a lot of parasites, their mass death can cause intoxication of the body.

Therefore, it is not recommended to give drugs to weakened animals. And in case of mass parasitosis, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian.