Enjoying your kitty on your lap? Cuddling in front of the fire? Watching TV together? What if kitty suddenly started scratching itself? And what if you suddenly see that your hand is covered in little black spots, and feel stuff wriggling around kitty’s belly? How fast would you jump out of the couch?

Meet our next topic: parasites, in this case, most likely: the flea.
Along with the tick and the worm, it is one of the most common parasites who likes to nest in the soft fur of your fluffy friend. And as much as you are horrified by its presence, it is your favorite pet that is being bugged by it, no pun intended. As a cat, you scratch and you scratch and you scratch, till you are mad with sleep deprivation and itching. So how do we keep these nasty little buggers away?

Most vets will give you this info standard when you bring kitty in for the very first time. There are several very good products that will help you get rid of the little buggers. Fleas live for approximately two days, in which they feed, mate and lay eggs to then die. And then the cycle starts all over. The buggers are dark brown, the black specks you see on your hand when you pet the cat are their waste, actually. Depending on how much of an invasion of fleas you have and what the situation is, there are several products that can help: there are products that work like a bomb in a room and disinfect the room. There is a product called Program, which makes fleas sterile, and is put into the food (especially handy with stray cats). It is often combined with the most frequently used product: Advantage or Frontline. These are tubes you put onto the skin of the cat in the neck, so she cannot lick it off, and they kill the fleas that are on the coat of the cat. Then there are still shampoos, sprays, you name it.

You are most likely to find them on the warmer parts of your animals . On their belly, behind their ears and most particularly in the ‘armpit’ and ‘groin’ region. You should also be aware of the fact that a flea infestation can cost a kitten its life. If the kitten is small enough, and the amount of fleas is big enough, they can literally cause anemia and eventually death, just by sucking the kitten dry.

Fleas can survive the entire year round because of our central heating system. This means that you might have to protect your animals during the winter as well. I tend to have a pack of advantage lying around, and if my boyfriend complains about bites that are not mosquito, I treat my cats. Since they are indoor cats, this fortunately is not that often the case.

But at my parents place, we had outdoor cats, and when we went on holiday one summer for 3 weeks, we had an incredible infestation of fleas on our hands. The entire house was covered in it. The people that took care of them had to call pest-control to get rid of the infestation. When we got home, it became clear they had forgotten to take care of the top room in the house since they figured the cats didn’t go there. Unfortunately, it was their favorite place. When my brother stepped into his room, his legs were completely black in a matter of seconds up to his knees. That’s how high they can jump. So you see how bad it can become, really fast, if not kept in check.

What about us? Well, fleas do not like our blood. They can feed on us to keep alive, but they need the blood of a four-legged creature to be able to procreate. Some people get bitten more than others, and it is thought that this is for the same reason that mosquitoes bite some people more than others. Apparently there are people with sweet blood and sour blood. Luckily, I am the latter and I only get bitten if my boyfriend is out of town.

What other bugs are out there? Ticks, for one.
Ticks are even more nasty as far as I am concerned. They are brown when little, purple when they have sucked blood and black when they are mature. They suck up to 500 times their own weight in blood from a creature, then drop off and go digest, to then start all over again. Their season, depending on the weather, is from March-April to October-November. They are abundantly present in areas near forests. Indoor cats usually are not bothered by them, unless you bring one in yourself from the forest.

The one thing you need to know about ticks is that they transmit diseases, in particular Lyme’s disease. They are the host of this disease and if they are infected, they will transmit the disease to the creature after sucking its blood.

There are products on the market for them, mostly drops to put onto the skin, just like the fleas. And most products actually combine the medication to take on fleas and ticks. Most products cause the tick to drop off or be poisoned right after they bite, which means they do not get the chance to transmit the disease. Unfortunately, ticks are becoming more and more resistant to the products out there. Frontline used to be very good against both fleas and ticks, but lately there are more and more complaints, especially from people who live near forests where the population is abundant, that the ticks are just not reacting to it. This is because Frontline has been on the market longer than other products out there, and certain populations of ticks have had the chance to become immune to the product.

Another handy tool to have is a tick extractor. It looks a bit like a mini version of a crowbar. You put it under the tick and TURN, not PULL. After a few turns the tick should let go. Then make sure to put your shoe on top until you hear a very gross ‘splut’. Small ones can be removed with your nails and cut in half with them. You will find ticks most often in a cat’s ears and other warm areas. Make sure you always try to remove the tick as fast as possible, so it does not have the time to transmit any diseases.

Next, we have the worm.

There are several kinds of worms out there. And they are all annoying, though some more than others. Worms, for the most part, get transferred from one animal to the other through feces. So, if your cat goes outside, a worm-infection is very possible. Inside cats are less at risk, but it is still advised to de-worm your cat every six months at the very least. Especially since most worms, unlike ticks and fleas, aren't as picky about their hosts. These guys wouldn't mind infecting us, either. Now, we adults don't have a tendency to play around with cat poo, but what about your young kids? And what if the cat excreates the pieces of worm elsewhere, like in the couch (happens for instance with the tape worm)? In fact, it can even be us who cause our pets to have worms aswell by infecting them. Aint that a lovely thought?

Most products that work against most worms work right then and there. Which means that they kill all worms present, but that’s it. No prevention, zilch. So it might be wise to de-worm a cat more often if she goes outdoors. Unfortunately de-worming medication doesn’t really come cheap. If your cat does have worms, you should de-worm again after two weeks, unless it was a tapeworm. You see, re-infection from their own waste can occur, so to be sure you killed all worms, it is best to redo the treatment after two weeks. The medication works for about five days and is best given when the cat is feeling peachy keen. Why? Because it actually puts quite a lot of stress on the cat.

One of my vets actually told me that it is possible to kill a small weakened kitten by de-worming it, because all the worms get killed at the same time and clog the kittens system that way. So don’t de-worm your cat when it is not feeling that great or just had its yearly shots, or recovering from surgery.

Why is the tape worm an exception? Because this worm is most frequently introduced by the flea. Yes people, they work together. A tape worm is transmitted into the body when a cat bites a flea which has been infected, and therefore swallows the worm. Re-infection is not possible since this worm does not spread through the feces. Unless of course you do not treat the animal for fleas. A tape worm which is excreted and dried up looks like a grain of rice.
However, the tape worm can also be introduced into the cat's system because the cat hunted and ate a mouse, rabbit, bird, whatever, who was already infected with tape worm. If your kitty is quite the hunter, she might get unlucky and catch an infected prey.

Medication available works against most worms. Some do not work against heart worm (more common in dogs than cats) and tape worm. The pastes that are typically given to kittens do not cover tape worm. Milbemax and Drontal cover all worms. There are also drops that can be given instead of pills, but they too have their downsides.

How can you tell if your cat has worms? Well, excretions usually contain pieces of worm then. Also, if your adult cat is loosing weight, it is a possible cause. Consistent vomiting without the cat really having any other problems, can also be an indication. Sometimes you willl even find pieces of worm in the vomit. Diarrhea is another symptom. Kittens often have a very bloated and hard belly when they have worms. If you notice these symptoms without the cat really looking lethargic or sick or feverish, you could try de-worming them first. When in doubt though, rush to your vet.

That takes care of the nasty buggers that bug our favorite pets. And it is also nice to be reassured as an owner that you won’t find fleas in your bed, ‘grains of rice’ in your couch and ticks on your skin (yes they do attack us as well, though we are not their favorite prey). Prevention is better than healing we say in Dutch, and that is clearly the case here.