Cats get worms primarily through several common routes:
- Ingesting worm eggs from contaminated environments, such as soil or feces, when they groom themselves or walk through infected areas.
- Eating infected intermediate hosts like rodents, birds, or insects that carry worm larvae or eggs.
- Swallowing infected fleas while grooming, which commonly transmits tapeworms.
- Kittens can also get worms from their mother's milk if the mother is infected, especially with roundworms.
- Indoor cats can get worms from sharing litter boxes with infected cats or exposure to infected flea larvae, as well as carrying in eggs on clothing or soil in house plants.
The most common types of worms cats get are roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms, each with specific transmission paths but generally linked to ingesting eggs, infected prey, or fleas.
In summary, cats contract worms by ingesting eggs or larvae from infected sources, intermediate hosts like rodents or fleas, and in kittens, through mothers' milk. Even indoor cats are at risk due to environmental exposures and fleas brought indoors.
