Forms of parasitism in indoor cats (Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52673/18570461.26.2-81.16Keywords:
Monoparasitism, polyparasitism, indoor habitat, domestic catsAbstract
In indoor cats (n = 89), the parasitic burden was dominated by mnoparasitism form, with an overall prevalence of 34.83%. Within this category, Toxocara cati was the dominant species (11.24%), followed by Cystoisospora felis (6.74%), suggesting the persistence of transmission factors in the indoor apartment environment. Ancylostoma caninum and Toxascaris leonina showed equal prevalences of 4.49%, whereas Toxoplasma gondii / Hammondia hammondi (3.37%), Dipylidium caninum (2.25%), Sarcocystis spp. (1.12%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (1.12%) had lower bioecological relevance, being associated with sporadic occurrence or occasional risk factors. The distribution of species within monoparasitism was significantly uneven (p = 0.009), with a marked predominance of endoparasitism (96.77%) over ectoparasitism (3.23%), a significant statistical difference (p < 0.001), reflecting the major role of the faecal-oral route in parasite transmission under indoor conditions. In comparison, polyparasitism had a lower frequency and was represented by four sporadic parasite associations, each recorded in a single case: T. gondii / H. hammondi + T. cati, C. felis + A. caninum, C. felis + T. cati, and T. gondii / H. hammondi + A. caninum, each recorded in a single case (1.12%). The overall prevalence of 4.49% indicates an occasional pattern of associated infestations, without the emergence of dominant parasitic combinations.
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