A Simple Way to Help Cats – Learn Your Worms

It’s not uncommon for cats, at one time or another, to wind up with a worm in their system. This is especially true of cats that go outdoors or have contact with animals that go outdoors, such as dogs or the odd mouse that they’ve hunted somewhere in the basement and then gifted you. So let’s take a moment to learn a little about tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms and what to do if they’ve hitched a ride on your cat.

What are the symptoms to look for and what do I do if I think my cat has worms?

These three types of worms are all visible to the naked eye but aren’t always present when you’re looking for them. But because they affect the digestive and intestinal tract they cause additional symptoms like bloated stomach, weight loss, coarse-feeling fur, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy. Cats will sometimes drag their bottoms on the ground as well to relieve the itch and irritation these little pests cause. In more serious infestations though, worms can cause anemia or death (especially in kittens) if left untreated.

If you notice any of these symptoms or see the worms themselves, contact your veterinarian and make an appointment to have your cat examined. In most cases, a quick look at a fecal sample to identify the type of worm and then a dose or two of the appropriate dewormer will eliminate the infestation.

Prevention

How do you prevent worms in the first place? Tips from veterinarians include keeping your cat indoors, keeping their litter box clean and sanitizing it regularly, offering your cat a number of litter boxes instead of just one (especially in multi-cat households), and having your vet check a fecal sample as part of your cat’s yearly check-up.

Worm Identification

Tapeworms

Hookworms

Hookworm larvae live in the dirt and usually enter a cat when they are grooming their paws or via lesions in their toe beans. The hookworm then attaches itself to the lining of the cat’s intestinal tract and lay eggs that that then move through the cat’s digestive system and are eventually excreted where the eggs hatch into larvae and the process starts again. They are long and thin, like thread, and are often difficult to see.

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Roundworms

Kittens often become infected with roundworms through ingesting their mother’s milk. Full-grown roundworms are about three to five inches long and They look a little like thin spaghetti. If you’re going to see them, they are usually visible in a cats poop but are sometimes vomited up as well. Cats can also contract roundworms by ingesting roundworm eggs or eating rodents with larvae present in their tissues.