Cat Lungworms – Facts to Know from Symptoms to Prevention

There are lot more parasites in the environment, which can play havoc on your pets. However, it is crucial to know about some harmful worms especially lungworms that can badly deform the health of cats. Here, let us understand about lungworms and the different facts about it related to a cat’s health.

What are cat lungworms?

Lungworms are a type of parasites that resides in airways and small arteries of the lungs. These worms attack the vital parts and sustain feeding on the blood. Adult lungworms’ life span in lungs is up to 2 years. They produce larvae that can be diagnosed in feces. When measured the female lungworm is about 9 mm long and male lungworm is about 4-7 mm long.

Why lungworms are dangerous?

Cats are more prone to lungworm disease. Lungworm larvae put cat’s health in danger. It can expose cat to multiple diseases due to weakened immunity.

These worms can cause severe congestion, heart attack or respiratory problems in a long run.

How do cats get infected by lungworms?

Any cat can get infected when they prey on any infected animal with lungworm larvae, such as rat, mouse, snail, frog, lizard or bird. Once into the gastrointestinal tract, these larvae make their way to the lungs. In the lungs, further life cycle starts where larvae mature to adult worms, and the worms lay eggs that again hatch to larvae. Further, they can be coughed out, swallowed or excreted in the feces of the cat.

Risk of lungworms in Cats Lungworms badly hammer the immune system of cats. The weakened immune system make cat vulnerable to many illnesses and lead to chronic diseases.

Signs of lungworm infection in dogs 

Shortness of breath

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Wheezing, sneezing

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Persistent cough, often with bouts of intense coughing

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Nasal discharge

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Open-mouthed abdominal breathing

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Weight loss

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Lethargy

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Depression

Prevention Ensure that your cat does not hunt animals, and in case if he does, then restrict it to eat that stuff. To prevent hunting behavior in your cat, you can provide rich nutritious food, ensure mental stimulation with lot of play games, fit a bell in his collar so ensure where it is and keep your cat indoors especially during dusk and dawn.

Properly cleaning up cat feces from the litter box or from the yard reduces chances of infection to various small animals.

Also, you can use preventive products like advocate, sentinel to avoid worm infections. Rather than taking risks, it is always advisable to protect your cat from harmful lungworm infections.