Ectoparasites are parasites that live externally on your cat & Endoparasites are parasites that live internally

on your cat. There are many types of internal and external parasites

Endoparasite Coccidia
Coccidia (cok-SID-ee-ah) are single-celled parasites and are not visible to the naked eye. Your pet can become infected by eating infected soil or licking contaminated paws or fur. Once swallowed, the parasites damage the lining of the intestine and your pet cannot absorb nutrients from its food.

Symptoms Nasal and eye discharge, weakness, emaciation, bloody diarrhoea and loss of weight and appetite. There may also be a rise in temperature. Kittens are very susceptible to coccidiosis, especially after they are weaned. Nursing kittens do not appear to be as badly affected by the disease as are weaned kittens. Young kittens may pick up the locusts from their mothers or from infected faces. The disease is the scourge of pet shops, especially those without proper sanitation. Kittens lick their paws after walking in infected faces, and take in the locusts. Flies are also suspected of being carriers of the coccidian locusts. Cats and kittens usually recover from coccidiosis and it is more or less self-limiting. But neglected cases may terminate in death, Life cycle of Coccidia It takes about thirteen days for illness to develop after the cat/ kitten first ingests Coccidia. When a kitten is born it does not have Coccidia but gets it from there mother as there could be faeces still on the kitten and when it licks etc. it will become contaminated. The parasites will then

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divide through asexual reproduction into a hundred or more daughter cells. The daughter cells will eventually break out of the gut wall to invade a new area and repeat the process. In 10-14 weeks the daughter cells can multiply over a millionfold. During this stage, parts of the gut wall will have parasites attached that have developed into male and female sex cells. The female sex cells are fertilized and secrete oocysts into the gut wall and around themselves. the oocysts will then shed in the faeces and thus will complete the lifecycle. Treatment Treatment may be unnecessary in cats because they usually spontaneously eliminate the infection. In clinically affected cats, trimethoprim-sulfonamide (3060 mg/kg/day for 6 days) can be used.

Ectoparasite Ear Mites

Ear mites are a common spider like external parasite which causes significant discomfort to the cat. Although the name would suggest otherwise, ear mites can live on any part of the body although they generally live in the ears of cats. They are the most common cause of otitis externa (inflammation of the outer ear canal) in cats. Ear mites are most often seen in kittens and outdoor cats, but they can affect cats of any age, including indoor cats. Ear mites feed on epidermal debris & ear wax. They burrow into the ear, causing inflammation which the body responds to by producing more wax. While there are several types of mites which may infect cats, Otodectes Cynotis is the mite most commonly seen in cats.

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Symptoms Not all cats will display symptoms of ear mites but often they will scratch at their ears & or shake their heads. Other symptoms may include Reddish/brown discharge in the ear Bleeding from the ear Coffee-grounds like appearance in the ear Scratch marks Odour Twitching of the ears

There may be damage to the ear if the infection has been present for a length of time. Damage to the ear could include a thickening of the skin, aural hematoma (a blood filled pocket) or infection which is caused by the cat damaging the skin by scratching, and bacteria entering these wounds.

Life Cycle The life cycle of an individual mite is about 4 weeks, with eggs hatching on the 3rd or 4th day after laying. Female mites are able to reproduce after about 3 weeks.[4]

Treatment Treatment depends on how severe the problem is. Removal of the exudates from the ear by instilling a few drops of mineral oil & gently massaging the base of the ear. This will loosen the exudate, which will make it easy to remove. Your veterinarian will be able to prescribe a medication to kill the mites. A flea/worming treatment can also be used to treat ear mites in cats. Thoroughly washing your pet's bedding & toys is required if you have had an outbreak of ear mites in your home.

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