When Should My Cat See A Veterinarian For Deworming
I like to see cats a minimum of once a year when they’re young and, as they get older in the seven to eight range, I like to see them twice a year. And every time we see them for their annual visit or by annual visit, I like to check a stool sample. For indoor kitties, once a year is probably adequate, but for cats that are going outsideunless you’re deworming every month with a product like Revolution Plus thent’s a good idea to check a stool sample twice a year at a minimum.
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Summary Of Worms In Cats
There are many different types of worms that can infest cats, so be aware of the signs and symptoms. Immediate treatment will not only help prevent the infestation in your cat from becoming worse, but it will also help protect the other pets in your household. Discovering that your cat has worms may be disturbing, but with effective treatment from your vet, your cat will be worm-free before you know it!
Dewormers Prescribed By The Veterinarian
Dewormers are given either in tablet or liquid form and are very effective and safe.
Its normal to see worms in your cat’s stool for a short period after giving the product, as the body purges and eliminates them in the stool.
The larvae of certain types of worms can, however, become embedded in the body’s tissues, making it impossible to get rid of them immediately. They can remain dormant for some time and multiply later.
This is why the treatment of worms usually requires several doses, to avoid recurrences.
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How To Prevent Tapeworms In Cats
As the old saying goes, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound cure. That certainly holds true when it comes to tapeworm infections. Vigilant and effective flea control for your cat is the first step in preventing infection from the flea tapeworm, Dipylidium, and cats who go outside will often hunt and consume prey, which serve as intermediate hosts for the other species of tapeworms. These cats should see their vet every three months for intestinal parasite testing and deworming whether symptoms are present or not.
What Are Some Signs And Symptoms Of Intestinal Parasites In Your Cat
One of the crazy things is sometimes the cat looks and feels totally fine if they have a low parasite burden. And that’s where regular stool screenings with our fecal tests are essential because it allows us to catch those parasites before they start to cause a problem, which is always the ideal situation, as we want to prevent problems. Another aspect in preventing issues would be to use a topical or oral dewormer regularly. Again, that’s where Revolution Plus would come in, as we’re protecting against fleas and tickswe can deworm monthly and not have to worry about it.
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How Can You Tell If Your Cat Has Worms
The signs and symptoms of worms in cats vary by parasite and can also depend on how many worms the cat has. Often, however, cats with intestinal worms dont show any signs.
Roundworms. Some of the common signs of a roundworm infection include diarrhea, weight loss, low energy, poor haircoat, failure to thrive , and sometimes vomiting. Kittens will often have a potbelly appearance, and cats that are heavily infected will sometimes have dead worms in their poop or vomit, Nichols says. Cats with a high number of worms can also suffer from anemia and blocked intestines. However, she adds that many catsespecially adultsdont show any signs.
Tapeworms.More often than not, cats with tapeworms dont have any signs, Nichols says. The most common clinical signs seen by pet owners are the presence of tapeworm segments in their cats poop or on their cats rear end. Vomiting, diarrhea, and blocked intestines can occur in cats with a high number of worms.
Hookworms. According to Nichols, beyond the typical signs of infection such as diarrhea, the blood-sucking parasites can cause severe anemia and even sudden death. Kittens are most at risk. Another unique feature of hookworms is that they can cause wounds and infections where they burrow into the skinmost commonly on the paws and belly, Nichols says.
What Are Roundworms And Why Should Pet Parents Care
The scientific names for the types of roundworm that infect cats is toxocara cati or toxascaris leonina. Roundworms are one of the most common intestinal parasites in cats . In fact, most cats are infected at some point during their life, usually as young kittens.
These worms, which can grow to 3-6 inches in length, dont tend to harm healthy adult cats. Young kittens, older seniors, or immune-compromised cats are more at risk, though.
Left untreated, severe roundworm infestations can have serious, life-threatening health consequences for kittens. Plus, the worms can affect humans.
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Are Certain Cats More Likely To Get Tapeworms
Fleas are the intermediate host for tapeworm. In other words, the tapeworm is unable to complete its life cycle without the presence of fleas in the environment. Regardless of whether the owner has seen fleas on the cat, or in the home, the cat must have ingested a flea in order to have tapeworms.
“Fleas are the intermediate host for the tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum.”
Consequently, tapeworms are more common in environments that are heavily infested with fleas. It is recommended to treat your cat for fleas if tapeworms are noted, and use flea control to prevent future flea infestations and tapeworm infections.
How To Get Rid Of Worms In Cats
There are several home remedies that claim to be effective in treating and preventing worms in cats, including garlic, apple cider vinegar, pumpkin seeds, carrots, and turmeric.
However, attempting to treat your cat with over-the-counter remedies or natural remedies for worms in cats is never recommended.
While it may seem like a faster and cheaper alternative to visiting your veterinarian, there is NO guarantee that those products are safe or effective in treating any type of medical condition, and they could actually be harmful to your cat.
Here are some effective and vet-approved treatments for worms in cats.
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How To Check Cats For Worms
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 43 testimonials and 94% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,315,769 times.
Can I Catch Worms From My Cat
Several worms mentioned above are indeed contagious to humans. However, our immune system is often strong enough to purge them naturally.
That said, children and people who are immunocompromised are at higher risk of contracting it.
I suggest that you wash your hands after cleaning your cat’s litter box and clean it regularly to prevent contamination.
For pregnant women, it is important to wear gloves, or even let your spouse do the litter! Remember, your cat can have worms even if you don’t see them!
Also cover your child’s sandbox and wear gloves when gardening, as some stray cats may use them to do their business.
To conclude, many cats have had worms in their lifetime. Its important to be alert to the various symptoms mentioned above, in order to prevent parasitosis in your kitty cat.
Although very disturbing, there are different remedies for these different types of intestinal worms. Its important to act quickly to avoid contaminating yourself.
For me, the fear of catching worms is more than enough motivation to worm my animals!
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Is There Anything Else That I Should Do
Flea control is the cornerstone of the management and prevention of tapeworm infection. Flea control products are convenient to use. Depending on the type of product you use and the presence of other pets in your home, you may also need to treat your house and yard for fleas . With some of the newer products, environmental flea control may not be needed. Circumstances vary however, so be sure to talk to your veterinarian.
“Flea control is the cornerstone of preventing tapeworm infection.”
If the cat lives in a flea-infested environment, tapeworm infection can become re-established within a few weeks. This is very rarely due to treatment failure in most cases, reappearance of tapeworm segments represents a re-infection of the cat. Additional recommendations include:
1. Promptly have your cat treated when tapeworms are detected.
2. Remove and dispose of all pet feces properly, especially in public parks, yards, or playgrounds.
3. Teach and practice strict hygiene practices for children after playing outdoors.
Can Humans Get Worms From Cats
Yes, humans can get worms from cats if they come in direct contact with infected feces or soil. This tends to happen when people are gardening without gloves, walking barefoot through infected soil, or if children are playing in a sandbox that has infected feces from cats. The best way to prevent this from happening is to practice good hygiene.
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How Cat Roundworms Can Infect Human Beings
The larvae of T. cati roundworms can infect people, as well as cats. This happens when eggs are ingested. It is most common in children who may not practice the best hygiene and may pick up eggs on their hands when playing in the yard, for example. Good hygiene is important. Children should wash their hands regularly, and cats should be kept out of areas where children play. Sandboxes, not surprisingly, pose a particular challenge. It’s also important to keep pet waste picked up.
The larvae don’t develop into adult roundworms in people, but the larvae migrating through the tissues can cause inflammation, especially in young children. Most cases are not serious, but in serious cases, organ damage is possible, as result of the migrating larvae , and sometimes the larvae can reach the eyes, leading to visual disturbances and even blindness.
Migration of roundworm larvae through human tissues is called “visceral larva migrans,” while migration to the eyes is called “ocular larva migrans.” Proper prevention of a roundworm infection is important to prevent these human health problems.
Treating And Preventing Worms
Kittens. Your kitten will need a special worming treatment suited to their age and weight. They should have their first treatment at 3 weeks old and after that, they should be wormed every two weeks until they are 16 weeks old. After 16 weeks, they will need a treatment every one-three months .
Adult cats. A worming treatment every three months is usually enough to prevent problems from developing. More regular treatments may be necessary if your cat hunts a lot.
What to expect after treatment. You probably wont notice any changes after giving your cat a worming treatment, unless they had lots of worms, in which case you may see some dead worms in their poo. Contact your vet if your cat has diarrhoea or seems unwell.
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Signs That Your Cat Has Worms
“Healthy adults may not have symptoms from worms, which is why your vet tends to recommend periodic fecal testing,” McNabb says. But in some cases, your cat may show symptoms of a worm infection including:
- Vomiting
- Blood in stool
- Weight loss
You may also be able to see worms in your cat’s stool or vomit. Each type of worm has a different size and shape, Nichols says.
What Cats Are At Risk For Roundworms
The cats who are most at risk for roundworms are kittens and cats who hunt, but any cat can get roundworms from an owners shoe or by playing with bugs that drag their bellies on the ground and pick up the eggs, Dr. Taylor says. Outdoor cats get them from contaminated soil, hunting or playing with bugs.
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Can Humans Catch Worms
Its very rare for humans to catch worms from a cat, but it does occasionally happen. Its most common in young children who have been playing in areas where cats have toileted. Cats worms can cause illness in humans by lodging in organs such as the eyes, liver, heart and brain. If you have concerns for you or someone else, it is best to contact your doctor, or the NHS for advice. If you have small children, it is very important to deworm your cat regularly.
What To Do If Your Cat Has Worms & How To Avoid Them
Think your cat has worms? Find out how to tell for sure and how to treat them is she does.
The bad news: Intestinal worms in cats are very common. The good news: Theyre relatively easy to treat, and most cats make a full recovery. Plus, there are simple steps you can take to prevent worms in cats and help protect your pet from these parasites.
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What Preventative Measures Can Be Taken To Ensure That My Cat Doesn’t Get Worms Or Other Parasites
The best thing that you can do is use a regular preventative each month. My favorite product for this is Revolution Plus, a topical medication that is applied to the skin on the back of your cat’s neck. This product not only deworms them each month, it actually protects against heartworm disease, fleas, and ticks, as well as some of the mange mites and ear mites. It’s a fantastic, safe product. And that monthly application is probably the best thing you can do to maintain a worm-free situation for your cat. Other options include deworming several times a year. We have another product for that, which is a topical as well as a liquid. Regular deworming is the best way to go, though, as well as monitoring a stool sample one to two times a year.
How Do Cats Get Tapeworms
First, a tapeworm egg must be ingested by a flea larva, an immature stage of the flea. Once inside the larval flea, the tapeworm egg continues to develop as the larval flea matures into an adult flea.
During grooming, or in response to a flea bite, the cat inadvertently swallows the flea. As the flea is digested within the cat’s intestine, the tapeworm egg is released, it hatches, and then anchors itself to the intestinal lining, therefore completing the lifecycle. Unlike other intestinal parasites, cats cannot become infected by eating tapeworm eggs. Tapeworms must first pass through the flea before they can infect the cat.
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Everything You Need To Know About Worms In Cats
Written bySmall Door’s medical experts
Discovering your cat has worms can be shocking and upsetting. Whether theyre external or internal, these parasites can wreak havoc on your cats health. But with proper diagnosis and treatment, worms in cats can be effectively treated and eliminated.
In This Article
How To Prevent Worms In Cats
Worm infestations in cats and transmission to children and adults can be prevented through good hygiene practices and the year-round use of heartworm, intestinal worm, and parasite prevention.
For indoor cats, cleaning the litter box on a daily basis, as well as changing out the litter and scrubbing the litter box on a regular basis is vital for minimizing exposure to contaminated feces.
For outdoor cats, regularly scooping feces from the yard, sandbox, and flower beds will minimize the potential for propagation of the parasite life cycle.
Featured Image: Shutterstock/Sakolnap
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Why Is Cat Deworming Important
Just the thought of your cat having worms is gross and disconcerting. No one wants their cuddly fur-baby – that sleeps where they sleep – to have worms. Most importantly, deworming your cat is important because of the negative health impact an infestation can have on your cat. Having worms can vary from just being annoying to life-threatening. Kittens and cats that are medically compromised or fragile with age are vulnerable to health issues from worms. They can get anemia or become severely dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea. Kittens can have so many worms that they can not pass them through the GI tract, and that can cause an intestinal blockage, a fatal condition. Infected kittens that are not dewormed can also have their growth and development negatively impacted. Healthy adult cats rarely have significant health issues from having worms, but they are at risk enough to say they need to be dewormed.
How You Can Protect Your Cat And Your Home
To avoid the problems stemming from worms, the best thing you can do is to have your cat examined. Go to the veterinarian and ask him/her to perform the necessary exams on your pet. If worms do show up, the veterinarian can quickly treat your cat for them.
You can also opt to keep your cat from going outside to prevent an infection. Consider investing in new doors to prevent your pet from escaping outside.
Notably, though, that will only reduce the chances of your pet getting worms. They could still get infected without heading outside. Protecting your cat against fleas is also smart. Use flea collars and powders regularly to keep those parasites away.
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