Intestinal Worms In Cats -- An Overview

Worms in cats are a common occurrence, especially in kittens, and your vet will test for them once per year. Testing is done by way of a stool sample.

Worms are parasites that feed off of their host. In this case, the host is your cat. There are a number of cat parasites, but there are three major players when it comes to intestinal worms.

Roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms are the main types of worms found in cats. During annual check ups, your vet should do a fecal exam for diagnosis.

Cats in the same household are also nice enough to share worm infestations with each other. Normally, if a fecal sample from one of the cats tests positive, your vet will want to treat the whole crowd.

Below is an overview on each of the major types of worms found in cats.

Roundworms -- Roundworms (Toxocara Cati) look similar to spaghetti, and are usually only visible when vomited up. Kittens can become infected with roundworm via their mothers. This is the case even if the mother cat shows no signs of infection. The encysted form of the roundworm lies dormant in the mother cat, and is passed to the kitten. Usually, even if test results are negative, veterinarians will worm kittens 2-3 times to be sure.

As a cat matures, a natural immunity develops against this worm. As a result, adult cats rarely experience roundworm infestations severe enough to cause illness.

Hookworms -- Hookworms hook themselves to the cat's intestinal wall. Rather than get their nutrition from what the cat takes in, hookworms are tissue feeders. Because of this, they can cause blood loss which may result in your cat developing anemia. In addition, a cat with this worm may also experience weight loss, poor hair coat and intestinal distress. Luckily, most of the medications that are used to treat roundworms will also take care of hookworms. At least two treatments are needed to get rid of hookworm.

Tapeworms -- Tapeworm bodies have a series of segments containing eggs. The segments drop off the worm, and along with the eggs are passed in the stool. Once in the environment, they then being to dry out and look like grains of rice. As such, they're fairly easy to spot. You'll sometimes see them in heavily traveled areas of the house or around the cat's anus. Cats with these worms have been known to experience anal irritation and exhibit excessive licking behavior.

In order to control tapeworms, it's important to control fleas. The flea ingests the tapeworm eggs and then your cat eats the flea. The tapeworm then lives in the intestinal tract of your cat where it then produces, you guessed it, more tapeworms.

Usually, there will be no visible signs of illness in your cat from tapeworms. Remember, though that as long as there are fleas, your cat is at risk. Until you completely get rid of the fleas, a potential tapeworm problem exists.

Cat parasites, like any illness, put undue stress on your cat. This is true even if your cat shows no signs of illness. Keeping your cat's immune system up to speed is therefore vital. That includes not only regular vet visits, but also exercise, high quality cat food, the room to play, and a comfortable and safe place to sleep. If your cat does get intestinal worms, the good news is that treatment is just a vet visit away.

You can read more about infestation and treatment of worms in cats and other cat parasites. Copyright 2008 by Kurt Schmitt.