When your cat or kitten has worms, it is the result of coming into contact with a parasite (usually a flea) that has entered your cat’s body. As a result, most kittens are actually born with worms and will need to be dewormed. A deworming kills the worms and will most likely need to be done several times during the months that make up kitten hood to ensure that all parasites are completely gone.
It is for this reason that every kitten should be checked by a veterinarian to see if he or she has worms. While your kitten is there your vet can also do a general health exam to ensure that kitty is in proper health.
Most Common Types Of Worms In Cats And Kittens
Among the many parasites that can infect your cat’s body, roundworms are the most common source of worms in kittens and tapeworms are the most common source of worms in adult cats. Roundworms get into the kittens through their mother’s milk and into mother usually by a way of contaminated soil.
One way to tell if your kitten might have roundworms is a pot bellied appearance. Roundworms themselves actually look a lot like spaghetti noodles and can often be seen in kitty’s stool and/or vomit. They are easily treated with an oral medication.
Tapeworms in adult cats on the other hand are usually the result of the cat ingesting a flea with the tapeworm inside it during normal self grooming. Outdoor cats are especially susceptible to contracting tapeworms this way and/or through eating prey such as raw meat or fish.
Tapeworms are about 1 cm to ¼ inch long in appearance and you may see them moving around the fur of your cat’s anus. Once the worms have left the anus and have dried up they look like grains of rice and can often be spotted in places where your cat sleeps. Due to the fact that these worms usually come from fleas, chances are if your cat has tapeworms he or she also has fleas.
Therefore, your cat will benefit most from both a deworming and flea medication in order to stop the vicious flea cycle that takes place during this process. Make sure that your vet checks for both fleas and tapeworms if your cat is suffering from one or the other as the two come hand in hand.
Important Information About Deworming And Medications
Never attempt to deal with a worm or flea problem by yourself. This can be extremely dangerous. Especially if you are buying an over the counter medication. Just because a medication is made and sold over the counter does not mean that it is safe for your cat or that it will even work for that matter. The unfortunate truth is that many of these types of medications have caused fatalities in cats. They are especially dangerous if used on kittens. Always get worm and/or flea medications from your veterinarian just to be on the safe side.
Occasionally cats can have a reaction to deworming medications even if it has been administered by your veterinarian. In this type of scenario vomiting, diarrhea, shaking and/or poor coordination are often exhibited by kitty. These are all telltale signs of a bad reaction to the medication. If your cat is suffering from any of the above symptoms you should contact your vet immediately.
Leave a Reply