There is a lot to learn about parasites and how to protect your cat as a cat owner. You may learn more about lungworm, including its potential risks, how to recognize the symptoms of an infection, and how to safeguard your cat, by reading the material that follows.
What is lungworm?
A specific kind of parasite called lungworms inhabits the lungs’ tiny arteries and airways. Lungworms can survive for two years in the lungs as adults, and their larvae can be found in excrement. Lungworms can seriously harm your cat since the female is approximately 9 mm long and the male is between 4 and 7 mm long.
Why is lungworm so important?
In reality, lungworms can seriously harm lung tissue and result in a serious, perhaps fatal respiratory illness, particularly in older, sicker, and young cats. Unfortunately, lungworm symptoms can be non-specific and might be challenging to diagnose. An USA study found that among examined stray cats, lungworm infection affected at least 16% of them.
How are cats infected?
When cats consume something that has lungworm larvae on it, they can contract the infection. This can be a bird, frog, lizard, mouse, rat, snail, or slug. The larvae enter the gastrointestinal tract after being swallowed, burrow through the wall of the stomach, and then move to the lungs. The larvae continue to develop and multiply from this point on, depositing eggs in your cat’s system.
Your cat will start to cough up the larvae or pass them through their system if they have lungworm infection.
Lungworm facts
Some risks:
- Lungworm can infect any cat, including those that live indoors alone.
- Cats outside who have access to snails or slugs, or who chase mice, rats, birds, lizards, and frogs, have a higher risk of contracting the infection.
- The majority of cats with clinical disease are older, sicker cats, and adult cats with compromised immune systems.
What are the signs of lungworm infection?
Lungworm causes respiratory discomfort due to lung damage. When the mature female worms in the lungs produce a lot of eggs between 6 and 13 weeks after infection, symptoms usually get the worst. While not every cat will exhibit symptoms, the following are typical ones:
- persistent cough, frequently accompanied with fits of coughing
- Sneezing and wheezing
- nasal discharge
- breathing in the abdomen with open lips
- Breathlessness and lethargic behavior
- Depression
- Loss of weight
Treatment and Prevention
- Cats should not be allowed to hunt; instead, they should have mental stimulation, a full and balanced diet, bells on their collars, and indoor confinement whenever feasible, especially between the dusk and dawn hours.
- Remove cat waste from the surrounding area on a regular basis to prevent the infection of birds, mice, rats, frogs, lizards, snails, and slugs.
- Consult a veterinarian or use a prophylactic product like as Advocate to determine the best course of action for your pet!