Intestinal parasites can be prevented. There are effective preventatives on the market that can be administered to your cat either monthly or every three months to help prevent them from getting intestinal parasites.

Worms can live for a long time inside a cat, depending on the species of the parasite. They can live for months, if not years, in the intestinal tract. It's important to have your cat's fecal material screened annually as an adult cat, and more frequently for kittens, to ensure they are not harboring parasites.

Intestinal parasites are quite common, especially in kittens. Most kittens have some type of parasite when they join your family, so it's important to have them screened for worms and dewormed properly by a veterinarian.

Some of the most common symptoms of worms in cats include a bloated belly, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. These symptoms are usually gastrointestinal. In severe cases, especially in young cats, they can even die from intestinal parasites.

Worms can be visible in your cat's stool. However, oftentimes they're not seen, so not seeing them does not mean that your cat does not have parasites. The most common parasite to be visible is the tapeworm, which appears as little rice-like segments on the outside of the stool.

Worms can be painful for cats. If a cat has a lot of intestinal parasites, it can cause intestinal wall thickening, bloating, and inflammation that can be uncomfortable.

Worms can be passed in several different ways. In kittens, the most common way is to be passed through the mother's uterus, meaning parasites are obtained in kittens before they're even born. Parasites can also migrate through milk and milk glands and be obtained while the kitten is nursing. Another common way is fecal-oral transmission, where eggs of parasites are passed through the fecal material of a cat and then ingested by the cat into the intestinal tract.

Intestinal parasites are organisms that live within the intestinal tract of cats. Some of the more common ones include roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms.

Bonding with your kitten is easy. Spend quality time together, find treats they enjoy eating, and provide a safe and healthy environment. Cats can be a great enrichment to our lives, so if you have any questions about your kitten's behavior, reach out to your veterinarian or a local pet hospital for help.

Ideally, yes. Cats naturally have claws and a preference for scratching on horizontal or vertical surfaces. Providing an appropriate scratching post or pad can help them express their normal behaviors without damaging your furniture or carpets.