At some point, your cat will encounter a parasite of some sort. One such parasite is the cat hookworm. Actually, there are four types of hookworm that may infect your cat.
Ancylostoma tubaeforme, or the feline hookworm, Ancylostoma braziliense, or the canine and feline hookworm, Uncinaria stenocephala, known as the northern canine hookworm, and Ancylostoma caninum, or the canine hookworm (some authoritative sources state that this form of the worm only infects dogs, foxes, and possibly humans, but not cats).
Hookworm risks --
As with other parasites, environment and hygiene are critical risk factors, and indoor cats are far less likely than outdoor cats to contract the worm. Cats that are regularly allowed to hunt or roam are at higher risk for infection. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in shelters may contribute to the spread of the worm as well. Hookworms tend to thrive in warm, moist environments, so incidents may be higher in warmer climates. The exception to this might be U. stenocephala, which is more commonly seen in colder climates.
What they do to your cat --
In contrast to roundworm, which swim freely in the cat's intestines, the hookworm will anchor itself to the cat's intestinal wall and suck blood from the tissue. In order to ensure a constant supply of blood flow and nutrients, they inject an anti-coagulant at the feeding site to keep the blood from clotting. Clever, huh? One of the problems that can occur is that if the hookworm moves its feeding location, the old location may continue to bleed into the bowel. All this blood loss results in anemia.
Signs and symptoms of cat hookworms --
In kittens or cats in ill health, the anemia caused by the blood loss is usually more serious than in otherwise healthy adults. In rare, but severe cases, a blood transfusion may be required, and there may be a risk of death. Hookworms in your cat may cause any of the following symptoms: anemia, weakness, pale gums, poor coat, black tarry stools, bloody diarrhea, and weight loss. Infected kittens may also exhibit stunted growth.
Methods of transmission and life cycle --
An animal can become infected by ingestion of larvae. This can be through contaminated water or soil, or by eating an infected transport host (such as when a cat eats a rodent). Larvae can also infect your cat by penetrating the skin (usually the feet). In addition, infected mothers may pass the disease on in their milk.
You will note that in contrast to some parasites, hookworms have a direct life cycle. In other words, they don't necessarily need a host in order to be transmitted.
Adult hookworms hook themselves to the intestinal wall and begin feeding. They pass microscopic eggs into the bowel of the cat, which ultimately end up in the cat's stool. The eggs hatch and develop into larvae (immature worms). The Centers for Disease Control state that under the right conditions of moisture and temperature, eggs can develop into the infective larvae stage in as few as five days. Time varies, though, and this process may take up to three weeks or so. According to most sources, the larvae can exist in the soil and remain infective for many months.
When infection starts via skin penetration, the larvae will migrate via the circulatory system to the lungs. They will then make their way up to the throat, where they are swallowed. Once in the intestine, they may mature and begin producing eggs, and the cycle begins again.
In cats, prenatal infection (infection through transplacental blood flow prior to birth) has not been established to occur, as it does in dogs. Kittens, according to some sources, can become infected as well through ingesting the milk of an infected queen (transmammary), but others state otherwise, or that it has not been established.
Cat hookworm diagnosis and treatment --
Yearly testing for cat parasites, especially worms, is important, as it's possible that healthy cats may show few symptoms until infection becomes severe. Hookworm eggs cannot be detected with the naked eye, but infection is fairly easy for your vet to diagnose through examination of the cat's stool under a microscope. At least two treatments of deworming medication are needed in order to completely rid your cat of hookworm. Typically, treatments are administered at 2 - 3 week intervals. Kittens should be, and typically are, treated for hookworm during their kitten vaccination series.
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