Symptoms Of Cat Worms

Symptoms Of Cat Worms

Your cat's stomach and intestines are home to a host of tiny organisms. Microscopic critters that are actually normal, natural, and essential for her wellbeing and health.

But sometimes the eggs of parasites get into her digestive system, developing into adult worms or other things that feed off the food going through her gut and steal its nutrition.

Worms will reproduce in the cat's gut, producing more eggs that are shed in the cat's feces and spread to other cats.

It is important to know that most cats will not even show symptoms of intestinal parasites at first; thus the first line of defense in parasite control is having a stool sample tested by your veterinarian.

Due to the prevalence of internal parasites in dogs and cats, their lack of symptoms in some cases, and the potential for humans to become infested also, your pets feces should be checked for internal parasites twice a year.

If the fecal exam is positive, the proper medication can be prescribed or recommended for purging that particular worm.

Roundworms.
Cat round worm (roundworm) infestation, is quite common in cats, but less severe than other worms. Out door cats are much more likely to contract round worms than an inside cat.

Kittens can get infected while in the womb of the female cat or through the milk of the infected mother.

Adult cats can get infected by ingesting worm-infested feceswhich would include using the same litter box as an infected cat.

They can also contract the worms by consuming an animal that is infected. Larvae of roundworms can migrate to various parts of the body and can travel up to the eye and cause damage to vision.

Vomiting, diarrhea, an extended abdomen, dehydration, weight loss and listlessness are other common symptoms that manifest themselves among cats infested with worms.

Symptoms of worms in cats and dogs are not always conclusive. Sometimes there are no specific symptoms that surface. But in some cases, worms can lead to death due to the sheer numbers. A single female roundworm can lay up to a hundred thousand eggs in a day. If left untreated, the worms can block the intestinal passage and cause death.

Tapeworms.
Tapeworms are another common intestinal parasite of dogs and cats.

Cats eat fleas infected by tapeworm, or their excrement, and the tapeworm attaches to the intestine of the cat.

Over time worms can grow up to 12 inches in length and shed portions of its body called prolottids through the feces.

The small pieces of tapeworm actually move and appear much like a grain of rice. This is how most owners discover that their cat is infested with tapeworms. By seeing the "rice grains" either in the litter box, or on the cat herself after using the litter box.

These small portions of worms are actually egg packets that are later eaten by fleas which continues the life cycle.

Research has shown that cats groom up to 75% of the fleas and the flea dirt, off their body in 24 hours. It is entirely possible that many cat owners are not aware their cat has any fleas and may not be ever see the tapeworm segments. Symptoms of tapeworms can be vomiting, diarrhea, unkempt hair coat, and itching around the rectal area.

All cats should routinely have a stool sample examined for worms.

While many cats who have worms may have no signs or symptoms, an infestation that goes unchecked for months or years has been robbing your cat of nutrients. What's more, kitty has been shedding the worms' eggs in her stool, passing them along to other animals in the house and in some cases, even to humans.