Research overview: lungworms of wild and domestic felids

Lungworms such as Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus species infect the respiratory tracts of felids, causing coughing, respiratory distress and sometimes serious disease, particularly in young or compromised animals. This overview surveys the lungworm fauna of wild and domestic cats, their indirect life cycles involving snails, slugs and paratenic prey hosts, and the growing recognition of these parasites in wild felid populations. It examines diagnosis through fecal larval detection, the interplay between domestic and wild cat infections, and the conditions that turn infestations into clinical disease. The synthesis connects felid respiratory health to gastropod-mediated parasite transmission. It aims to help readers understand a group of parasites whose complex life cycles tie cats to invertebrate intermediate hosts and whose impact ranges from inapparent to life-threatening.