What types of worms can cats get?
Cats can get a variety of worms. As far as intestinal parasites, we typically see roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. They can also get giardia and a handful of other parasites.
How are worms transmitted to cats?
Most worms are transmitted by what we call fecal-oral transmission. They're basically picking it up from the feces of other animals, usually other cats. They're licking it off the ground or drinking contaminated water. Tapeworms are an exception. Most cats get tapeworms from ingesting fleas. If they're itchy from fleas while they're biting and scratching themselves, they will accidentally eat a flea and then get infested with tapeworms.
What should I do if I see worms in my cat's stool?
If you see worms in your cat's stool, the first thing I would do is collect a sample. If you see actual long worms, grab some of those and a sample of poop, and bring it to your vet for analysis. Some worms are easily identifiable just by their appearance, but oftentimes we have to look microscopically to evaluate for worms. Getting as fresh of a sample as possible is important. If it's been sitting in the litter box for 3 or 4 days, it's probably not going to be good. We want a fresh sample to evaluate.
What are the symptoms of worms in cats?
Most cats, if they have worms, will exhibit a couple of symptoms. Especially young kittens can get a potbellied appearance. They have some gas, so they just look a little bloated and uncomfortable. Most worms will also cause some level of diarrhea, either soft stool or more watery diarrhea, sometimes with blood in it. Vomiting can also occur as a symptom.
What deworming products are available for cats?
There are many deworming products available for cats. At our clinic, we commonly use one of two products. One is a liquid called Pyrantel, which most cats take readily. It's extremely safe and is given to almost every kitten when they're young. We also use a medication called Panacur, which comes in either a liquid or a powder that we sprinkle in their food.
There are also many combination products. Some of our topical flea medications can treat certain intestinal parasites as well, so you're essentially getting more bang for your buck with those.
How often should cats be dewormed?
How often they need to be dewormed depends on the cat's lifestyle and risk factors. For cats that go outside, we definitely recommend that they stay on one of those monthly preventives. Cats that are indoor only and not really exposed to many other cats will often be dewormed or screened for parasites once yearly.
Are over-the-counter dewormers effective for cats?
While most over-the-counter dewormers are safe, they're not always effective. There isn't one dewormer that treats every intestinal parasite. Some dewormers work for tapeworms, others for roundworms, and others for Giardia. The best thing is to have a fecal analysis performed so your vet can see exactly which parasites you're dealing with and which medication is going to work best for them.
Are dewormers safe for cats?
Most of our dewormers are extremely safe. It's common practice for very young kittens to get dewormed when they're born, so many kittens will get dewormed as early as 2 to 4 weeks.
As for possible side effects, we do see occasional tummy upset, often from the worms being killed rather than the medication itself. This can cause a bit of constipation or irritation as those worms are moving through. With the topical medications, we will occasionally see a hypersensitivity where their skin just gets a little irritated, but most medications are extremely safe.
How quickly do deworming medications work for cats?
Deworming medications typically start working very quickly. Within a couple of hours, we can start to see some worms dying off. Depending on the exact type of worm, sometimes you can see different phases in the life cycle. The adult worms will get killed off, but there are some baby worms that aren't necessarily affected by the medication.
Depending on the worm, we will sometimes recommend repeated deworming several weeks to months out just to make sure that we're catching all the ages of the worms.
Can parasites be transmitted from cats to humans?
There are quite a few parasites that can be transmitted from cats to people, which is one reason why deworming is so important. We really want to make sure that both the cats and the humans in the household are safe and disease-free.
Do indoor cats need deworming?
Indoor cats still have some risk of parasites, though less so than outdoor cats. The biggest parasite we often see in indoor cats is tapeworms because they can be transmitted by fleas, and fleas go wherever they want. So yes, we do recommend either routine yearly fecal screenings and/or dewormings for cats, even if they stay inside all the time.
Should I treat all pets in the household if one has parasites?
If your cat has parasites, it's important to treat all the pets in the household. Sometimes one can act as a reservoir, so if you're not treating all of them, another pet can reinfect everybody again. The good news is that most intestinal parasites are not very hardy and can be killed with basic cleaning and disinfectants.
What should I expect after treating my cat for internal parasites?
If your cat has symptoms from worms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or bloating, we hope to see improvement in those symptoms. We always like to recheck a stool sample analysis after treatment to ensure that we've cleared all the parasites.
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