Can my indoor cat still get intestinal parasites?

Yeah, they can. It's tough because where are they going to get it? Where are they exposed to the feces of an infected animal if they're 100% indoors? It’s retty rare. The most common thing would be those tapeworms that we mentioned. That is the most common thing that we see, the most common parasite in cats that are indoors. It doesn't take much for a flea to come inside. And then again, the way they groom themselves, they're going to probably ingest it. And then they can break with tapeworms after that.

The most likely other scenario I would think is if you introduce a new cat into the household. So you can have this new one that comes in, and little typhoid Mary brings it into the healthy cat that's in the house. And that's what happens. So if you get a new animal introduced to the house, always get them checked at the vet first. Get a good stool sample done first. And then if they are clean, it's okay for everybody to intermingle and hopefully live happily ever after.

They can because fleas get in the house. They can potentially get tapeworms from getting fleas. But just like I said earlier, the dirt on your shoes from coming inside could bring in roundworm or hookworm eggs that could then expose your cat.

It’s not likely that your indoor cat will pick them up, but we have found cats that have lived in households for up to two years, and they bring in a fecal, and they still are positive. The reality of it is, parasites can be pretty tenacious. The products that we use for deworming are safe and effective, and every cat should be dewormed a minimum of once a year, even if they're an indoor cat.

It's definitely a possibility, especially with tapeworms. Even if they don't go outside at all, things like mice can get into your house and have tapeworm eggs in the fleas that they carry. You can even bring in fleas on your pant legs which will expose them.

Yes, indoor cats can still get parasites. One of the most common ways is through exposure to fleas, which can squeeze through screens and enter your home. Cats may also briefly venture outside without you realizing it, which can expose them to intestinal parasites.

Unfortunately, yes, indoor cats can also get intestinal parasites because we could inadvertently bring the parasite eggs in on our shoes.