Cat Worms Are A Health Threat!
Cat worms are a health threat and cats are very susceptible to a number of varieties of worms, so it is important to understand what these parasites do, what their symptoms are, and how to treat them. Worms you might find in cats across the United States include roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms.
Roundworms are the most common worms you will find in cats, affecting a large number of both kittens and adult cats. These worms look like white earthworms or moving spaghetti noodles, and they can grow to a length of five inches.
Adult roundworms live in the stomach and intestines, and their eggs are transferred through the cat’s stool. The eggs can hatch and live in the soil for three to four weeks, making the possibility of infesting a passing animal quite likely.
Let’s follow Tommy through his day and see the ways he might pick up a roundworm. Tommy loves to roam outdoors, as do most cats. The wooded lot next to our home provides a wonderful hunting ground. Neighborhood cats also use the area to hunt. Therefore, it is an easy way for all of them to share the potential roundworm infestation. First, walking through soil that contains eggs or live worms, Tommy can pick them up on the pads of his feet. When he comes home for the evening, he makes himself comfortable, grooms himself, and licks his feet. He has ingested a roundworm, and now the growth of the worm becomes a problem for Tommy.
Another scenario for Tommy’s roundworm problem comes in his food source. He eats a rodent he has chased through the lot next door. The rodent has already ingested the roundworms he has picked up on his feet. Tommy then ingests the rodent and the roundworm, and our battle with the parasite has begun.
Be sure to treat your cat because these worms cause vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, a cough, and a thin, pot-bellied appearance in your cat. Treat them beginning at three weeks of age, because they can be transmitted through the mother’s milk. Continue monthly treatments until the cat is six months old, and have your cat tested for them whenever symptoms occur.
The second worm that is a problem for cats is hookworms. These are a small, thin intestinal parasite, ranging from ¼ to ½ inch long. Hookworms are more of a problem in dogs, but still something to watch for in your cat.
Just as with the roundworms, Tommy may pick the hookworm up on a hunting excursion. The difference is that this time he does not have to lick his feet. The hookworm, while sometimes ingested, can attach itself to the pads of the cat’s foot and burrows into the skin. The worm works its way through the body, into the lungs, and ultimately to the intestines where it matures and feeds on Tommy’s blood.
The symptoms for the hookworm are similar. Diarrhea, anemia, weight loss, and chronic weakness will plague your cat, and hookworms can be fatal in kittens. The way to diagnose hookworms is the discovery of eggs in the cat’s stool. Kittens can be more susceptible to hookworms because they can be transferred through the mother’s milk.
The third worm to consider is the tapeworm. It is most common in adult cats and grow from one inch to several feet long. This worm implants its head in the intestinal wall. Segments of the body containing eggs may be expelled, but until the head is destroyed, the parasite will continue to regenerate. The segments when expelled and dried look like kernels of rice and can be found on your cat’s fur on her hind end.
So how might Tommy pick up the tapeworm? One way is through fleas or lice that have ingested tapeworm eggs. The constant licking Tommy does to groom himself can ingest fleas or lice. Or the itching caused by their bites may cause Tommy to bite the insect, thereby ingesting the tapeworm eggs.
Another way Tommy might pick up this particular parasite is through that all too common hunting excursion. Any animal Tommy might eat, from rodents to fish, could carry the tapeworm or the eggs of a tapeworm. When Tommy eats the animal, he acquires the tapeworm.
Treatment for all these worms is important to the health of your cat. The prescribed treatments must be used under a vet’s supervision, and treatment of fleas and lice must accompany the treatment for tapeworms in order to gain the most effectiveness.
Now don’t lose heart thinking you can’t handle this whole parasite business. They are an important health issue for cats, so be educated, and understand the ways you can help cut down on their occurrence in your cat. Here are a couple pointers.
First, destroy the larvae and eggs before they can reinfest your cat. That means keeping your cat’s favorite places dry and clean. It also means controlling the flea and rodent population in your area.
Second, consider keeping your cat indoors or providing adequate confined space for him to spend outdoors. Make sure to provide dry, shaded space for the cat to be. A concrete or similar surface is recommended, because it can be washed and air-dried daily to eliminate these parasites. Also be sure to clean up any stool your cat has deposited in the area.
Third, keep litter boxes dry and cleaned every day. Re-infestation from their feces is a problem.
Finally, control the population of fleas, lice, roaches, beetles, and other pests that are intermediate hosts for these worms.
Worms are not fun, for you or for your cat. But knowing what you are dealing with can help you get the right treatment for these parasites and avoid infestation, keeping you and your cat happy and healthy.
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