How To Get Rid Of Stomach Worms In Cats

Are These Infections Serious In The Cat

Intestinal worms can be a serious problem in young kittens. Hookworms can cause anemia and roundworms can lead to poor growth and development. Tapeworms can also accumulate in high numbers, leading to intestinal obstruction.

In adult cats, however, intestinal parasites are only occasionally life-threatening. Debilitated animals or those that have a weakened immune system are more likely to experience severe intestinal parasitism and show clinical signs due to their worms.

Heartworm disease is a major life-threatening problem in dogs, and is increasingly recognized as a threat to cats. Heartworm disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause extensive damage within the heart and lungs.

How Can I Prevent Or Treat These Parasites

Speak to your veterinarian about the most appropriate parasite control program for your cat. Prompt treatment for worms should be given when any intestinal parasites are detected periodic routine deworming may be appropriate for cats at risk for re-infection. Controlling fleas will prevent infection of certain types of tapeworm. There are excellent heartworm preventives now available for cats, making prevention of heartworm disease safe and easy.

How Does My Cat Get Worms

The tendency for cats to become infected with specific parasites is directly related to the area of the country in which they live, if they are indoors or outdoors, whether they live with other animals, whether or not they are on parasite prevention, and of course, if theyve seen a vet for testing and/or treatment.

Although intestinal parasites can affect cats of any age, its quite common for kittens to have parasites from birth. They can get these from their mothers placenta and/or milk. Your vet should check your kittens stool sample for parasites at their first visit, as well as the subsequent 2-3 visits when receiving their initial vaccines.

The stool is looked at under the microscope to check for roundworm eggs , tapeworm eggs , or protozoa . Your kitten will likely also be dewormed at each of these visits. Parasites have different life cycles and arent always shedding, so they may not always be noted on your cats fecal exam even when present. Your kitten should start monthly heartworm/flea/tick prevention as soon as they are old enough .

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From Hunting And Scavenging

Rodents, rabbits, birds and even insects eat parasite eggs. However, these animals are known as secondary or intermediate hosts because the eggs do not develop into adults once ingested, but instead remain dormant. When a cat consumes all or part of these animals while hunting or scavenging, the dormant parasite wakes up and grows into an adult worm in the cats intestines.

Clean Regularly To Keep Worms Away

Preventive measures are one of the best cures for any disease. So, disinfect your house often, clean the litter box regularly, and wash the water and food bowls. Moreover, you should check your cat for fleas regularly to prevent tapeworms.

Furthermore, you should try to keep your cat indoors. Outdoors cats hunt rodents that could be infected with worms. In addition to this, outdoor pets dig in gardens and soil, and the risk of contracting worms is greater. Not to mention that your kitty might come home full of fleas and ticks.

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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!

Treatment And Risk Reduction

It is important to understand that you cannot actually prevent worms and that they are so prevalent that the vast majority of our cats will be infected. However, with regular and effective worm control as an integral part of your Cat Care regime you are able to get rid of those worms which are present at the time of treatment hence removing the threat of the illnesses and suffering to which we have referred earlier.

There is a multitude of different worming products available on the market from pet shops, supermarkets, and on the internet and it can therefore be very difficult, and often confusing, to be certain that you are using the right ones. Some treatments are effective against roundworm and tapeworm, whilst others are only effective against one or the other.

Not only is the range of products huge, but so also are the ways of administering them. Some excellent ones are still in tablet form. Other effective ones come in spot-on form, or as pastes, powders, syrups, or with injections by your vet. As regular worm treatment is so very important to your cats wellbeing it is therefore a good idea to have a word with your vet before deciding upon the right ones to use for your particular cat.

In my experience cats do not like being wormed, and some are extremely difficult to treat with tablets even the palatable ones. For this reason, I personally believe that the spot-on treatments are by far the easiest to administer.

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Prepare For The Unexpected

Treating and preventing worms the natural way is a great start to ensuring your pup stays healthy, but you should still schedule an annual vet visit where heartworm and parasite testing can be conducted, along with deworming if needed. Enrolling your dog in pet insurance with wellness coverage means you can receive reimbursement towards preventative treatments and your annual veterinary visit! Get a quote today.

Symptoms And Treatment Of Cats With Worms

It can be difficult to tell if your cat has worms . Kittens with worms may have diarrhea, slow weight gain and a potbelly. Infected adult cats may have dark tarry stools, vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss. However, both are just as likely to have no signs of their worm infection at all. If your cat has never been checked for worms, it’s an absolute must. You should also have a stool sample checked for any new cat brought into your home. Deworming is usually a standard part of the protocol for shelter cats, and young kittens are typically dewormed several times as they get worms from their mother’s milk and will pass them back and forth. Even if your cat has been treated for worms before, a reinfestation is possible at any time because treatment just kills the existing worms.

This is one case where you have to go to the veterinarian for help. She needs to diagnose the type of worm infesting your cat in order to prescribe the correct medication. Over-the-counter deworming medications often don’t have enough punch to knock out worms for good. No home or folk remedies have been shown to be both effective and safe enough to get the job done, either. An infestation that goes unchecked for months or even years robs your cat of vital nutrients. She will also be shedding eggs or spores and infecting other animals .

Originally Published: Jun 1, 2011

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How To Treat Cheyletiella In Cats

Many parasite and mite preventatives can be useful in both preventing and treating Cheyletiella in cats. These preventatives can be applied either orally or directly onto the skin. As is the case with any type of parasite infestation, it is important to clean all areas your cat stays in, including pillows and bedding.

Whatever type of parasite your cat may have, try not to panic! Talk to a vet and your cat will be their normal selves soon!

How To Identify Worms In A Cat

This article was co-authored by Brian Bourquin, DVM. Brian Bourquin, better known as Dr. B to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic, a pet health care and veterinary clinic with three locations, South End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in primary veterinary care, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency care, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The clinic also provides specialty services in behavior, nutrition, and alternative pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic laser treatments. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA accredited hospital and Bostons first Fear Free Certified Clinic. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 21 testimonials and 93% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 700,480 times.

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What Kind Of Worms Do Cats Get

• Roundworms A common worm typically acquired by your cat in an outdoor environment, from rodents or soil contaminated with feces. May also be passed by a nursing queen to her litter.
• Hookworms These worms are hair-thin and very small. These worms literally have teeth, enabling them to latch onto the lining of your cats intestine and feast on its blood.
• Tapeworms There are two types, which can be passed to your cat via the bite of an infected flea or by ingesting a rodent that is carrying them.
• Heartworms Difficult to diagnose and untreatable in cats, these are the most dangerous of the many types of parasites which can infest your pet. Heartworms invade your cats body through the circulatory system, entering through a mosquito bite. The foot-long worms resemble wads of tangled fishing line, and can block your cats heart and lungs. Just one of these worms can pose a life-threatening risk to your cat. Because they do not inhabit the digestive system, you may never see evidence of them. In fact, even a blood test may not reveal their presence in the early stages of infestation. Preventing them is key. Read more about feline heartworm disease.

Give The Worming Medication

As the consequence, one of ways how to get rid of worms in cats is by giving the cat some worming medications. This one can fight against roundworm and tapeworm as well. However, you should choose the right product and it is a wise way to talk to the veterinarian first. In the same way, the medications can be found in liquids, pastes, granules, and injections as well.

For the example, you can have Panacur Contains fenbendazole to fight against roundworms, lungworms, and tapeworms. It can be found in the liquid, granules, and paste form as well. There is also Stronghold spot-on . Contains selamectin, that can deal with the roundworm, ear mites , mange and fleas. For small cats and kittens, then you can use Milbemax that contains milbemycin oxime to deal with roundworms and use praziquantel to fight against tapeworms.

To conclude, those are 15 Effective Ways How to Get Rid of Worms in Cats. You can apply the ways step by step and see the best results. Indeed, to have the treatment for worms in cats is not easy. But, all you need is the consistency to fight against it. By repeating the step regularly, then your cat will be free from worms and be healthy and cute cats for sure. Then, good luck!

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Which Intestinal Worms Infect Cats

There are several types of intestinal worms that can infect cats, each with its own set of unique features, says Jessica Nichols, DVM, chief veterinary officer of Spay and Neuter Kansas City in Kansas City, Mo. Here are some of the most common parasites seen in cats:

Roundworms. Roundworms are long, brown round worms that look like cooked spaghetti, Nichols says. She adds that they’re the most common intestinal parasite in kittens, and kittens are infected more often than adults.

Tapeworms. Tapeworms are long, white, flat, segmented parasites with hook-like mouth parts that they use to attach themselves to the intestinal walls of cats. Segments of adult tapeworms will break off and end up in the infected cat’s poop. “These proglottids look like grains of rice that move, and they are commonly seen in the poop or around the rear end of infected cats,” Nichols says. “They eventually break open and release tapeworm eggs into the environment.”

Hookworms. Nichols says that hookworms are less common in cats than roundworms and tapeworms, which is good because they’re particularly nasty parasites. “Unlike other worms that eat food and drink materials floating around the cat’s intestines, hookworms hook their teeth into the small intestines and suck blood,” she says.

Whipworms. These can infect the intestines of cats, but according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council, this rarely happens in North America. Feline whipworms are more common in tropical regions.

What Types Of Worms Can A Cat Catch

Most worms are spread through the ingestion of eggs from infected stools. You will say, of course, that your cat does not eat stools. But as your cat is constantly grooming itself, all it takes is for your cat to walk on infected ground to ingest these eggs a little later.

Here are the 4 main families of worms that are harmful to our feline friends. What do cat worms look like?

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Apple Cider Vinegar Is Effective Against Fleas

Will apple cider vinegar kill worms in cats? Well, when ingested apple cider vinegar creates an acidic environment in your pet’s stomach. But there is little scientific proof that apple cider vinegar strong enough to kill worms. Besides, giving apple cider vinegar, even diluted with water to your cat, might irritate her stomach and digestive tract.

Nevertheless, apple cider vinegar can help you in your fight with worms by getting rid of fleas. As you remember, the flea carries tapeworms and is a source of great discomfort for your pet.

So, mix apple cider vinegar with water and pour the solution into a squeeze bottle. Then spray your pet’s fur gently with the mixture. After that, take a flea comb and use it to remove the fleas.

In addition to this, you can also use apple cider vinegar to treat ringworm and fungus. It’s also suitable for your dog.

Intestinal Parasites In Cats

The cat’s intestinal tract can be infested by different types of parasites, but the following are the most common ones:

• Vermes: Vermes are also known as worms, and there are two types: Round-shaped ones are known as Nematodes, and flat ones are called Cestodes.

• Protozoa: These are unicellular parasites of which mainly two types exist: Coccidias and Giardias.

The eggs of these parasites are expelled through the feces of already infected cats. Therefore, the main route of contagion is through the ingestion of infected feces or through the ingestion of small rodents that have eaten feces infected with parasite eggs.

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Do You Know How To Treat Your Cat’s Worms

Now do you want to know how to get rid of your cat’s worms? Different strategies are available to you.

We recommend that you first visit a vet so that they can make a diagnosis and, after analyzing your kittys stools, determine what type of worms are multiplying in your cat’s digestive system.

Depending on the amount of worms that your cat is dealing with, the vet will recommend the best dewormer, adapted to the cats needs.

Symptoms Of Intestinal Parasites In Cats

A cat whose gastrointestinal tract has been colonized by parasites may show the following symptoms:

• Malaise and lethargy

One of the clearest warning signs of the presence of intestinal parasites in your pet is noticing worms in the cat’s feces.

Don’t put off going to the vet if you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms in your cat, since these symptoms may also correspond with other diseases and it’s important to properly verify the diagnosis. It’s also important for the vet to supervise the natural treatment for intestinal parasites in cats, which will be possible whenever the infestation is not severe.

Similarly, it’s important to go to the vet because some parasites can cause zoonosis, meaning that they can be transmitted to humans – although this only happens on rare occasions.

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Is There More Than One Type Of Tapeworm

There are two types of tapeworm. The most common, and the one discussed throughout this article, is known scientifically as dipylidium caninum, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

The other type which is far more dangerous and far more rare is called Echinococcus. According to the CDC, cystic echinococcosis is caused by infection with the larval stage of a tapeworm called hydatid worm, or Echinococcus granulosus, which is found in dogs, sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs.

“Although most infections in humans are asymptomatic, CE causes harmful, slowly enlarging cysts in the liver, lungs, and other organs that often grow unnoticed and neglected for years,” the CDC reports.

Another type of tapeworm is called Echinococcus multilocularis, and can cause a disease called Alveolar echinococcosis . This tapeworm is found in foxes, coyotes, dogs, cats, and small rodents. Human cases are rare but very seriouscausing parasitic tumors that can form in the liver, lungs, brain, and other organs. AE can be fatal if it isn’t treated, according to the CDC. But that, thankfully, is rare. In fact, a study published by the PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases found only forty-one echinococcosis-related deaths in the United States between 1990 and 2007.