That is a great question from one of our readers.
I have 3 indoor cats and live on the 8tth floor of a high rise. Do I worry about them getting worms? I take the proper precautions to make sure that they do not get parasites. They are currently on a monthly topical preventative. However, Indoor cats can get parasites from insects. The insects can run across their food or the cats can eat them. These insects can have the parasite eggs on their legs. Some insects or other animals such as snails can be vectors for parasites. In other words, the parasites live part of their life cycle in these animals.
I have a very responsible client who has a cat that got lungworms in suburban Virginia. He responded beautifully from deworming. He came to us coughing and looking like he was going was on death’s door. He had lost 2 pounds. His radiographs looked like either asthma or cancer. It was terrible. Fortunately, he responded beautifully to 10 days of Panacur, deworming. He is normal with no coughing after treatment.
Parasites have developed great survival strategies. Over millions of years they have worked on these sneaky mechanisms of survival. The Companion Parasites Animal Council (CAPC) has great recommendations on how to protect yourself and your family. They recommend twice yearly deworming for indoor only cats.
These parasites could potentially infect your children, BUT with proper easy deworming this can be easily prevented. A relationship with your veterinarian is your first defense. As veterinarians we are here to help you tailor your cat’s medical needs to you and your cat’s lifestyle.
