Fleas and other parasites
We all love our cats and we treat them as good as we can. There are still diseases and parasites that your cat can get no matter how good you take car of the cat. Once you know that your cat has a parasite or a disease you need to take it to a vet. Some parasites or diseases remain uncovered but if you control you cat on a regular basis, you discover most parasites and diseases early.
This article gives you a small overview about some parasites and diseases that cats can get. There are far more diseases out there way to many to cover them all in one article but it should be enough for a short overview.
Fleas
Cats can get fleas and if you don’t get rid of them, they will reproduce and can become to a real plague. This can happen even to well-groomed cats and needs to be eliminated as fast as possible.
There are different cat supplies like spray, powder or a shampoo that will help you to get rid of the parasites. Adult fleas spend most their time on pets but their eggs can be found on your carpet, bedding and rugs. Therefore you need to treat the environment of the cat as well as the cat. If you fail to do so the next generation of fleas will be born and your cat re-infected.
Ticks
Ticks can be a serious threat to your cat, they can transmit a number of diseases like tick paralysis or Lyme disease.
Researches have shown that one out of 5 ticks is infected with some kind of disease. A frequent tick control needs to be done with cats that go outside the house. Keeping your cat out of grasses and woods will reduce the risk for them to get infected.
As with fleas you need to also clean the environment of your cat in oder to get rid of the ticks. For removing ticks you should use a pair of tweezers. Grab the tick and then carefully pull it out without twisting. Do not grab the tick too hard otherwise it might crush and leave harmful bacteria in your cat’s bloodstream. Once the tick is removed you should clean and disinfect the wound.
Ear Mites
These are mites that live in your cat’s ear. They are extremely contagious and can be passed from cat to cat but also from other pets like dogs, hamsters, mice… These mites are very common but they are still very dangerous.
They can cause permanent hearing lost if left untreated. You need to go to a vet and have your cat’s ears examined. There are a number of very effective medications, but you need to make sure you are also using a flea control medication since these ear mites can sometimes be found on the cat’s body as well.
Heart worm
Cats can get infected by a heartworm. This parasite lives in the cat’s heart and can cause a sudden cat death. Heartworm is a preventable disease, there are medications for it.
Round worms
This up to 4 inch long worm is the most common type of worm to infect pets. Roundworms can cause diarrhea and other signs of illness. Signs of a worm infection include weight loss, black looking stools, pale color, weakness and others. You should consult a vet to get some worm remover medications.
Tape worm
Tapeworms can be a treat to your cat and they need to be removed as quick as possible. You should go to a pet-doctor if there are certain symptoms. Cats can get Tapeworms by eating infected mice or other small animals. If you pet has a tapeworm you need to be very careful because some can infect humans as well.
Giant Kidney Worm
This worm rarely infects pets but it can happen. The worm lives in the kidney and can grow up to 1 yard long. It can cause different kind of diseases and even destroy the hole kidney.
Skin-fungus
Almost all kind of pets can get serious skin-diseases like rash or fungus. Some symptoms are loss of hair, continues scratching on one body part and others. If your cat shows these symptoms you should consult a doctor. Ringworms are one of the diseases caused by fungus. Ringworm can be transmitted to people by direct contact with pets.
Always consult a vet, don’t try self medication on your pet. Control your cat on a regular basis for parasites like mites, fleas and ticks. The earlier you find them, the better for your cat’s health.
About the author:
Guido Nussbaum, a 28 year old cat-friend from Germany. I run the website cat urine cleaner You’ll find funny cat videos, information about cat urine cleaner, articles and more.
Guido Nussbaum
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/fleas-and-other-parasites-your-cat-can-get-these-112421.html
Why are people so ignorant as to let their pets roam free, and spread fleas and other parasites all over?
My neighbors constantly let their cats roam free. They pick up fleas, then sit by my door kicking the fleas off, which wind up in my house, on my cats. Isnt their some kind of laws that say its illegal to let your animals run free? Should I just call animal control and have them picked up. I would hate to do this, because most would be put to sleep, and the fault isnt theirs, but their owners.
call animal control and ask about the leash laws in your area. fleas live in everybodys yard, same as worms. so blaming the neighbors animals for fleas is kind of silly unless your or your animals never go outside.
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use Frontline on your cats and you’ll never have to worry about the neighbors cats bringing fleas… I would also suggest it to your neighbors
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3 cats (1 whom goes outside often) and 2 dogs
I wish there was a logical explanation for this but unfortunetly, there isn’t.
Truth is, most people just don’t care. And that’s the bottom line.
Yes, in most states there are leash laws (many states don’t allow roaming of cats at all). You could run a google search for "leash laws in ????–whereever you are.
As for calling animal control, yes, you could do that. Chances are they will offer your neighbors a warning to begin with. Then you may have to call again or they may follow up with you to find out if the neighbor is complying with the warning. If not, the cats will be picked up and removed (with an exception–Animal Control cannot go into the yard to pick up the animal).
If you’re feeling motivated or wanting to help enough, you could also see if you can borrow a cat trap from Animal Control, catch the cat, de-flea it and set it loose again.
Good luck!
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who cares animals are stupid anyways
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Because people are ignorant. They think that fleas just jump on animals that are already in the house. That fleas and parasites, just grow out of nothing..or space and appear one day on the animal. Not once realizing that the animals out side could be littering the grass with fleas and parasites.
It takes One person to walk through parvo outside, and step into a house with a dog of 4 months or less, for the dog to get the disease, and that’s deadly. Fleas, multiply at a extremely high rate of speed. People just simply do not care. Plain and simple. They figure they will let out their cat. ( Out of sight…out of mind ) and then they will magically reappear with nothing upon their coats.
Plain fact of the matter….People are just down right stupid when it comes to animals, and If you ask Me, the animals are the smart ones…
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I cannot stand pet owners who neglect their animals!
Actually, calling animal control isnt a bad idea. Better yet, try a pet adoption agency in your area. They would have a better chance at that kind of place finding a forever home.
A cats mortality rate in the wild is 80%. That means that you would be doing them a big favor turning them into a shelter where at least they would get proper nutrition & health care.
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Good grief, get over it! Do you think all animals should be kept indoors at all times? What about all those wild animals with their fleas? Let’s kill all the squirrels. And birds. And never step into an area that hasn’t been thoroughly sprayed with DDT. Alternatively let your cats out and give them a life.
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If they are disturbing you, and yeah, fleas are most disturbing, then you have the right to call animal control. Are they tagged? Generally, animal control will try to talk to the owners before they take their animals. Might make it uncomfortable for you but sometimes you have to make a stand.
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you’ve got to be kidding. lol no it’s definetly not illegal to let pets roam free where i live cuz u c cats and dogs everywhere not on leashes. its because the owners thinks their pets need freedom from home to do whatever they want to do. but maybe its bad to let your cats run around where you are. you should check that. its probably bad if you live in a city, but in a town where i live, its not because, like i said before, the pets need their freedom from home, to go and do what they want.
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It would be impossible and cruel to keep my cat indoors. She becomes very depressed inside as she is a rescued stray and needs to be free. I give her Advantage to keep the fleas off of her. As free as she is she is a very loyal friend to me greeting me in the driveway each day when she hears my motorcycle.
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Can you talk to your neighbors? Or are they stupid white trash jerks? If you can talk to them, I’d nicely let them know that their cats are spreading fleas and you’re concerned not only about your own cats health, but theirs as well. If they’re jerks and you don’t want to discuss the matter with them, then I would call your local animal shelter or animal control. You could also get ahold of the aspca. The fleas and roaming about could be considered abuse or neglect.
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Where I live noone would dream of locking their cat up inside, and it is certanly not illegal to let your cat roam. But I guess that changes from country to country. My cat uses the cat door and comes and goes as she pleases. She is well looked after, taged and deflead.
Put some prolonged acting deflea treatment on your cats and that is one problem solved.
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Fleas dont just live on cats, and it could well be the case that those cats aren’t purely responsible for yours getting them. If you protect your own cats by using some sort of protection from fleas then you shouldnt have a problem. It’s not going to be particularly neighbourly to call animal control to have your neighbours cats taken away when they don’t belong to you. Perhaps try talking to your neighbour and seeing whether they’re aware of this problem you have. If you’re that bothered by other cats on your land why not consider something like a high frequency alarm which you can buy to keep cats off your land, or some other (humane) form of deterrant.
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