Indoor Cats & Parasites
My cat lives indoor only: it cannot be infested by parasites!
Of course, a cat is more likely to be contaminated with internal parasites (roundworms, tapeworms...) if it goes out regularly, but it may still carry the parasites with which it arrived in your home, especially if it is a kitten. As for fleas, they can come to your house without you noticing!
Simply putting your cat in a cat boarding, taking it to a house frequented by other animals, or welcoming visitors with their four-legged companions can allow parasites to arrive in your home and to settle.
If your cat lives with a dog, be aware that the dog's fleas lay eggs and that their development takes place in the animal's environment. Flea larvae take shelter in gaps near the cat's sleeping quarters before turning into adult fleas and jumping on the passing cat.
Treating the dog without treating the cat that lives with it would be a pity because the cat then serves as a "tank" for parasites and facilitates the persistence of fleas in your home.
Roundworms (ascaris) are extremely common parasites in kittens: they get infested from birth and it is necessary to regularly deworm your kitten throughout its first year to get rid of it, even if it lives indoors. Ask your veterinarian for advice on the frequency and type of deworming drug to use.
Regular treatments are important for the health of the cat but also for the health of the family where it lives because the accidental ingestion of ascaris eggs can be dangerous for humans, especially children.
Adult cats are often parasitized by a tapeworm called Dipylidium caninum (despite its name, it is hosted by both cats and dogs). The cat contaminates itself by doing its daily grooming: it swallows fleas that harbor the larvae of this tapeworm. Of course, cats that are not treated against fleas are the most at risk.
Once Dipylidium develops in the digestive tract, the cat becomes an excretor of tapeworm eggs, maintaining the parasitic cycle.
No cat, even living inside, is therefore exempted from being dewormed from time to time!
Dewormers targeted against ascaris are not always active against tapeworms, so it's better to seek advice from your veterinarian to choose a suitable dewormer.
