Can kittens be born with fleas and worms?

In short, kittens cannot be born with fleas but they can get them from their bedding or their mother very quickly. For me this means that anyone who's involved in breeding their cat (which should not happen by the way unless they are a breeder registered with a cat association) needs to ensure that the queen's nest is spotless in terms of fleas. No fleas in the mother's den would seem to be common sense. Or on the mother. And around the home generally.

Cat flea. Image: MikeB

I am sure though that in homes where cats are breeding informally there are piles of fleas because the owner is behaving irresponsibly. I can visual that scenario quite easily. Many kittens will have a flea infestation at an early age and it will be a treat to their life.

Resistance to fleas is age related: old and young are more vulnerable. They have less resistance and they will be debilitated and some will probably die.

Worms

Neither can kittens be born with worms but they can be infected through nursing so if the mother has worms so will her kittens.

Once again this points to the standard of caregiving in taking proactive steps before the queen becomes pregnant. Is she in good health? And worm-free?

Mother cat and her newborn kittens. Pixabay.

The problem with kittens being infected with worms is the same as stated for fleas above. How good are the proactive steps in preventing both endoparasites (worms) and ectoparasites (fleas) taking up residence in and on kittens before the mother becomes pregnant?

It is pretty obvious that in most non-cat breeder homes proactive steps are rarely taken. Kittens will have a tough start to life and some will die.

Felpreva a new multi-purpose spot on treatment for internal and external cat parasites

The European Medicines Agency has approved for marketing a new spot-on treatment called Felpreva manufactured by Vetoquinol SA. It's described as a pioneering spot-on treatment as it is multipurpose. It protects against all main endoparasites and ectoparasites such as tape worms, fleas and ticks and is designed for 3-monthly use. The treatment belongs to the endectocide group. Endoparasites those that infest the body internally and ectoparasites are those that are external and on the skin.

Longhaired cat that might benefit from Felpreva. She looks like a chinchilla doll face Persian. Picture in the public domain.

We have spot-on treatments for parasites such as fleas which are well known but a multipurpose treatment has been unavailable until it appears now. I understand that it is still progressing through the authorisation process.

RELATED: 30 facts about pyrethrin and cats.

Insecticides, which is what they are, for domestic cats are believed to be the biggest proportion of the veterinary pharmaceutical market. Educated cat owners, however, have a problem with treating their cats with insecticides because they are dangerous products. I'm told the 40% of cat owners say they felt anxious or concerned and even guilty about using these products on their cat.

This has an impact upon the usage of flea treatments. Personally, I do not administer a spot-on flea treatment to my cat but I flea comb him twice a day and he is clear every day of ectoparasites. He receives a de-worming pill from time to time to kill endoparasites. I feel that he is healthy. I am one of the 40% of cat owners who feel nervous about using these chemicals.

Helen Hunter at Vetoquinol said that "the need for a breakthrough endectocide solution like Felpreva has never been greater. This marketing authorisation is a vital achievement for Vetoquinol UK, and will allow us to bring convenience, longer-lasting protection, and ease of use to veterinary professionals and owners alike, in turn safeguarding the well-being of our feline companions."

The European Medicines Agency state that the side effects are mild and transient and might be present at the side of application if there are any side-effects. They say that the treatment is "generally well tolerated at the recommended dose". They further say that it is....

"For cats with, or at risk from, mixed parasitic infestations/infections. The veterinary medicinal product is exclusively indicated when ectoparasites, cestodes and nematodes are targeted at the same time."

The treatment is for: fleas, ticks, as part of a treatment for the control of flea allergy dermatitis, for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of notoederic mange, ear mite infestations, roundworms (nematodes), lung worms and tapeworms.

It seems to be very useful but let's wait and see. Personally I'm always very cautious about using these sorts of treatments as mentioned and products such as this one are always talked up before launch.

Vet removes huge pulsating parasite from kitten's neck

This is a botfly larva. Quite disgusting. There are a lot of videos on YouTube of botfly larva being removed from kittens. It's a bit mad. People are fascinated with the ghoulish nature of these videos. I've watched it and the size is horrific when you think it was inside this small, fragile kitten's neck. They've been extracted from worse places such as from the nose or the eye. Horror videos. This one is not too bad.

Botfly larva pulled from kitten's neck

See: Picture of a warble pulled from under the skin of a kitten

The botfly lays eggs on the skin and they burrow into it and take up home under the skin where they grow and feed off the cat. Parasites are disgusting. They can cause infections. They present as lumps on the skin. If you see a lump on your cat one possible cause is one of these foul creatures.

Here is the botfly lifecycle if you are interested:

Parasites that can infest full-time indoor cats

It may surprise people to know that full-time indoor cats can be infested by a range of parasites. On this page I will briefly list them and how they come to infect full-time indoor cats. I'm not going to go over any other aspect of this discussion in this article but by all means click on the links below to read more about parasites.

CAT PARASITES

CAT WORMS

Fleas are the obvious parasite which can infest indoor cats because they can be brought by their owner into the home. Or visitors to the home can bring one in or if there are other pets in the home which go outside, they may bring a flea inside the home. They will then jump onto the cat. The cat can ingest them when grooming. They can bite the cat causing a flea bite allergy which is most distressing. They transmit tapeworms to domestic cats.

Cat flea the most common cat parasite which can infest a full-time indoor cat. Photo: Shutterstock.

This brings me nicely to the next parasite which is tapeworms. This is a gastrointestinal parasite and the most common internal parasites in adult cats. They live in the small intestines and can be several feet in length. You sometimes see body segments containing the eggs passed in faeces and sometimes attached to the fur on the cat's backside. They are transmitted to cats by an intermediate host. One species of tapeworm is acquired from fleas or lice. Another species of tapeworm is acquired by eating rodents, uncooked meat and raw freshwater fish.

Roundworms are acquired by cats by ingesting the eggs. They can do this inside the home by eating a host animal such as a beetle or rodent which has acquired encysted larvae in its tissues.

Hookworms can be acquired by full-time indoor cat when the cat eats a mouse which is a host to hookworm larvae.

There are some rare worm parasites such as trichinosis which is acquired by ingesting uncooked pork which contains cysts. People acquire this parasite. It would be rare for a cat to acquire this parasite because they would have to eat uncooked pork but it is possible because sometimes people give cats treats such as uncooked meat. They may do so in order to attempt to provide their cat with a raw diet which some people consider to be beneficial.

Stomach worms most likely infect cats living in the south-western United States. Cats acquire them by eating beetles, cockroaches, crickets or lizards. Insects are on the domestic cat's menu.

Protozoan parasites can infect full-time indoor cats. These are single-celled creatures invisible to the naked eye. The first is giardiasis which is acquired by drinking water from streams and other sources that are contaminated with infected cysts. This may affect a full-time indoor cat if the cat it has access to an enclosure outside the home.

Toxoplasmosis is a very well-known protozoan parasite which has been endlessly discussed on the Internet. Although normally cats acquire this disease from consuming infected birds or rodents, they can also get it from eating raw or undercooked pork, beef, mutton or veal and/or unpasteurised dairy products.

Coccodiosis as a gastrointestinal parasite which usually targets young kittens. There are several species. One of the species, Cystoisospora is acquired by kittens from their mother who are the carriers. The mother would have acquired it when they eat a host animal such as a bird. This would be unlikely to happen if the owner keeps all their cats indoors full-time but it is conceivable.

Heartworms are delivered to a cat through a mosquito bite as larvae are in the mouthparts. The larvae burrow beneath the skin.

This list is probably quite comprehensive but I may have inadvertently have missed out one of the parasite species. As you can see a full-time indoor cat can acquire parasites and a veterinarian would recommend that you treat your cat for parasites. 

There are various ways of doing this. The most common parasite is fleas and provided you keep your home clean and tidy my advice is to flea comb your cat daily or twice daily to check for fleas. In this way you can keep fleas down without any harmful insecticides being deposited on your cat. 

My cat hunts mice and he regularly brings them into the home. He also kills birds occasionally but rarely. In the six years of his life he's only had two fleas. I combed them out and killed them immediately. 

It is possible to manage and eradicate fleas without harmful insecticides but you make your own choice on that. If the infestation is bad you will have to treat the entire home and treat your cat with an insecticide. You might like to consider using diatomaceous earth which destroys the exoskeleton of fleas and kills them that way. Click on the link to see what it is all about.

Are cat fleas and dog fleas the same?

No, cat fleas are a different species of ectoparasite to dog fleas but they act very similarly. The dog flea's scientific name is: Ctenocephalides felis and the cat flea's scientific name is: Ctenocephalides canis. I think that you'll find that dogs suffer from cat fleas more than dog fleas. 

Ectoparasites live outside the body as opposed to those that live in the gut such as tapeworms.

This foul parasite that so blights cat owners homes and cats. Image: public domain.

Dangers of treatments

The most important point to make about cat and dog fleas is not that they are a different species but the way that you eradicate them. You absolutely must not use dog flea treatments on cats. There have been cases of cats being killed by dog flea treatments. You must always read the label and never use these pesticides in the wrong way. I can't stress strongly enough. Particularly with kittens.

The best way to deal with fleas is to deal with them physically which is to flea comb and kill the flea physically as it is much more controllable. Using sprays and insecticides is potentially very hazardous. Spot on insecticide treatments are safer than sprays but read the label.When you read the label you can tell why they are dangerous because the manufacturers say that you should not get the product on your hands. I find this extraordinary because we are putting the product onto our cat's skin so were doing something which the manufacturers say is forbidden! On the face of it it looks completely mad.

Some dog flea treatments contain permethrin, which, for me, is a nasty insecticide and a toxic chemical cats. One reason why you can't use dog treatment on cats.

The dog flea lives on the cat as well as the dogs and other animals. The cat flea does the same. I think they were named almost arbitrarily because they appear to be quite interchangeable in terms of their host and their behaviour. They certainly look very similar. You won't know the difference unless you're an expert and you'll have to look at them under a microscope. 

Versatile

It is said that cat fleas are more versatile than dog fleas. They can infect at least another 50 types of animal species. Both these fleas can jump onto people and bite them. You'll see flea bites on people's ankles for example. Although it's rare in my view. And there's nowhere for the flea the hide because we don't have fur like cats and dogs. Therefore the human can't be a very suitable home for an adult flea and they probably jump off and then back onto a cat or dog if they live in the home.

Dog or human carrying fleas

If you live in a home with a cat and a dog it is more than likely that the dog will bring fleas into the home particularly, of course, if your cat is a full-time indoor cat. Even if you don't have a dog and your cat is inside all the time she may get fleas because the owner can bring them into the home. The default situation is to always check your cat for fleas, and if you have to do it daily using a flea comb. This is vital. You don't want fleas to take hold in your home. It requires vigilance to eradicate them completely and on an ongoing basis.

Safest insecticide

What is the safest flea treatment? The safest flea treatment is to use the flea comb and kill the parasite manually. If you want to use an insecticide apparently pyrethrins or natural pyrethrum is the least toxic insecticide used on cats and dogs. You will find them in natural flea-control products and the conventional varieties.

Flea dirt

In addition to flea combing fleas out of a cat's fur (which is pretty obvious because you can see them jumping out) you might see what is called flea-dirt at the base of their tail. This is also indicative of the presence of fleas on your cat.

Holistic

If you feel that you have removed all the fleas from your cat with great commitment and they still come back it is because they are in your home. You have to take what is called a holistic approach meaning a total approach to remove fleas. You can't do it on one and not the other. You can help prevent fleas taking hold in the home by removing those places where fleas like to live and wait before they jump onto your cat such as carpets. A more sheer living area with less clutter and less rugs and carpets is better in my view.

If you want to get rid of your fleas from your home fast you'll have to work at it fast and furiously! I would recommend vacuuming everything, steam cleaning everything, washing your pet's bedding thoroughly, perhaps using diatomaceous earth at entrances and exits of your home as well. This is a naturally occurring product which is a very fine white powder. It slices through the shell of the parasite destroying the creature. You can even dust your cat with it provided it is human grade although it looks very messy. It is relatively safe compared to the insecticides.

Tapeworm

The cat flea transmits tapeworms to cats. The eggs inside of saliva and it delivers these eggs into the cat's bloodstream when they feed on the cat. Yes, they are a particularly unpleasant creature. So if your cat has fleas they may also have tapeworms. When you treat your cat for fleas also treat them for worms. You can get a deworming product from your veterinarian or online these days from for example Amazon but you have to be really careful again. All medicines are poisons and potentially dangerous. Never be careless and bypassing your veterinarian is okay provided you know exactly what you're doing but if you are unsure then ask your veterinarian.

Cat and Dog Parasite Pictures

Something gross - Cat and Dog Parasite Pictures. You can't have pictures of cats without pictures of the parasites that feed on them. There is a peculiar natural balance to life when you have an extremely ugly parasite that is almost invisible (if it's the flea) feeding on the back of a beautiful cat. That said there is a serious side to looking at cat parasite pictures. As a concerned cat companion one needs to know a bit about cat parasites as they are not uncommon. The most common parasite is the common (oh so common and a pain in the .....) cat flea. A lot of cats get fleas at some stage particularly if they go outside. They are about 2-4mm in length. The photo above is larger than life size. They are an ectoparasite (parasite that on the outside surfaces of their host). I kill them by crushing them with my thumb nail and they go "pop" as the body is shattered.  Be extremely cautious with flea treatments. Read the instructions. Read the label word for word. Flea treatments can kill the kitten or cat. It happens quite a lot.

The pain in the arse cat flea. Image in public domain.

Some cats have a lot of them but put up with them and have no ill health because of them. Whereas white or light colored cats can have severe itching even with one flea. Fleas obtain their food by biting the skin which naturally can irritate the cat, but it is an allergic reaction to the saliva that can be worse than the bite. The adult flea jumps on and off the cat - and can they jump! They are very athletic and for their size jump massive distances. When you comb through fur to flush 'em out they sometimes jump back onto the cat and this happens so fast it is as if they are disappearing. They jump back on to feed. They live in carpet and such places when they are off the cat (see Cat Flea Life Cycle) . The flea larva matures off the cat. 

When adult (after several months) they jump on the passing cat. I recommend combing as the least dangerous and unsettling method to de-flea. If there are too many I recommend the dropper treatment (e.g. Frontline) that you place between the shoulder blades and on the spine which gets absorbed by the skin and then ingested by the flea when they feed. This is efficient and lasts about a month but it makes my cat sleepy and I am little worried about this drug in relation to its negative side effects. Cat and Dog Parasite Pictures -2 - The Ear Mite The medical name is Otodectes cynotis. This is the most common cat mite and is found in the external auditory canal (the bit of the ear you can see). It transfers from cat to cat with ease. Being a very small creature its presence can give the impression of dirty ears. They attach to the mucous membrane and cause damage to it which can lead to secondary infection. Cat and Dog Parasite Pictures -3- The Tick These are common and quite gross to look at. I have discussed these in some depth on the main website. Click here to see the page. In outline they clamp on to the cat's skin and feed on the blood of the cat becoming massively swollen in the process. 

They are therefore quite large (5mm or more in length). They look slightly blue due to the blood you can see under the surface. As you might know the important thing is to remove them carefully ensuring that the mouth parts are not left in the cat's skin where they will irritate and cause infection. You shouldn't just pull them off. You might like to get professional help to do this. These are the most common parasites in my experience. The others are: Maggots, Ringworm, Roundworm, Lungworm, Tapeworm and Coccidia. Photo credits: Top copyright honeybeararmy Middle 1st copyright aisack Middle 2nd copyright akeg Bottom copyright Thejaswi Source: Veterinary Notes for Cat Owners From Cat and Dog Parasite Pictures to Home page Can cat fleas bite humans Tapeworm in Felines (fleas are part of the lifecycle)