Regular parasite prevention protects cats from infestations and infections that cause significant suffering, making preventive treatment a fundamental welfare obligation.
Parasite infestations cause genuine suffering in cats. Flea allergy dermatitis in sensitised cats causes intense pruritus with self-trauma, secondary infection, and loss of sleep. Heavy roundworm burdens cause bloated abdomen, vomiting, and failure to thrive in kittens. Lungworm infection causes respiratory disease with coughing, dyspnoea, and exercise intolerance. Preventive treatment with appropriate products — spot-on treatments, oral preparations, or combination products — prevents these infestations at a cost far below that of treating established disease. Owner confusion about the correct products for cats, and the potentially fatal error of applying dog flea treatments containing permethrin to cats, creates a significant avoidable welfare risk.