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How to Identify a Cat with Worms

February 8, 2024 by admin Category: How To

You are viewing the article How to Identify a Cat with Worms  at Tnhelearning.edu.vn you can quickly access the necessary information in the table of contents of the article below.

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This article was co-written by Brian Bourquin, DVM. Brian Bourquin is a veterinarian and owner of the Boston Veterinary Clinic, a veterinary and pet care clinic with two campuses in the South End/Bay Village and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in basic veterinary medicine, health care and preventive care, critical and emergency care, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. This clinic also offers specialty services in behavior modification, nutrition, acupuncture pain therapy, and laser therapies. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA (American Association of Veterinary Hospitals) certified veterinary hospital and the first and only hospital in Boston to be certified as Fearless. Brian has over 19 years of experience in the veterinary industry and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University.

There are 8 references cited in this article that you can see at the bottom of the page.

This post has been viewed 9,265 times.

Intestinal parasites, also known as worms, are commonly found in kittens and large cats. These nasty parasites enter the body in many ways. Kittens can contract worm eggs from their mother’s milk, older cats from hookworms through the skin, and tapeworms through infected fleas, rabbits, and rodents. Heartworms are very common in cats, so it’s important to know how to recognize the signs in them to get the necessary treatment as soon as possible.

Table of Contents

  • Steps
    • Look at the physical signs in cats
    • Identify each type of worm
  • Advice
  • Warning

Steps

Look at the physical signs in cats

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Notice if the cat’s belly is distended. Cats with a lot of worms often have a bloated belly but no fat around the spine or pelvis. The cat’s belly will be distended, full, and wobbly (the cat may look pregnant). [1] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to the source The difference between a bloated cat and a fat cat is that the rest of the body is also in bad shape.

  • Roundworms are a common cause of abdominal bloating, although other types of worms also cause similar symptoms.
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Check the fat pad on the cat’s body. When you run your finger over a healthy cat’s spine, you should feel lumps along the spine, not the raised angular bones. Those are cat fat pads. Cats with severe worm infections will not have these fatty patches. When you stroke your cat’s spine and pelvis, you’ll also notice sharp and angular edges.

  • To consider the “condition” of a cat’s body is to examine the fat surrounding the cat’s bones. Points to pay attention to are the spine, hips, and pelvis.
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Consider the condition of the cat’s coat. Intestinal parasites suck up most of the nutrients in a cat’s food. That means your cat will not be provided with vitamins, minerals, and protein to maintain a beautiful coat. Take a look at the plumage that has characteristics such as:

  • Dull feathers.
  • The feathers are not shiny.
  • Messy and sticky hair
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Pay attention to whether the cat is vomiting or has diarrhea. Helminths can upset the stomach and intestinal lining, causing diarrhea and vomiting. Cats with a severe worm infection can have an intestinal blockage, causing severe vomiting, which can be life-threatening. Cats can also vomit worms, which look like wispy spaghetti. [2] X Kirk & Bistner’s Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment

  • If your cat begins to vomit uncontrollably, take it to the vet immediately.
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Observe the color of your cat’s gums. Certain types of worms, especially hookworms, can cause your cat’s gums to bleed, causing slow but continuous blood loss. This leads to anemia, sluggishness and weakness, which in kittens can be life-threatening. [3] X Research Sources

  • You can tell if you are anemic by lifting your cat’s lips and looking at the gums. Healthy gums will look rosy. If there is anemia, the gums will be pale with white, gray or pinkish color.
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Watch for signs of worms in kittens. Kittens infected with worms are often lethargic and stunted, which means they don’t grow as healthy as their littermates. They are small, inactive, fibrous, belly bloated, and have little fat around the ribs and spine.

  • It’s hard to judge if you don’t have other kittens to compare, but a healthy kitten will be active, playful, plump, and have a soft, shiny coat.
  • Infected kittens with severe worms can have long-lasting, health-degrading consequences throughout life.
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Check to see if the cat has fleas. Fleas carry tapeworm eggs, when cats lick their fur, they can eat the whole flea and bring tapeworm eggs into the body.

  • You can easily identify fleas on your cat from flea droppings. It is the dried blood that is excreted by the flea and is usually attached to the animal’s fur.
  • To find them, brush the cat’s fur in the opposite direction. You will see dark spots clinging to the base of the cat’s fur.
  • To check if the spots you see are flea droppings or just common dirt or dander, apply a damp paper towel to the dirt. Because flea droppings are dried blood, wiping with a damp cloth will leave a red or orange streak.
  • If you find flea or tick droppings, you need to treat your cat and treat the environment (such as the cat’s house and bed) so that there is no soil left for them to live on.

Identify each type of worm

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Understand why you must determine the type of worm. If you suspect your cat has worms, the next step is to try to determine the type of worm. This will help you know which medications are effective in treating worms.
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Find migratory tapeworm eggs. Looking down at the cat’s tail, tapeworm eggs are usually pushed outside the cat’s anus and get trapped in the nearby hair. Tapeworm eggs are usually creamy white and described as looking like rice, cucumber or sesame seeds. [4] X Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases and Parasitpogy. 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell

  • These eggs can fall on the cat’s bed, so check the cat’s bed as soon as possible.
  • If tapeworm eggs are found, take the cat to the vet for tapeworm treatment.
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Check cat feces for tapeworms. This will be easier to do if the cat uses the litter box to defecate. Check your cat’s feces for signs of flukes. Sometimes they’ll be clearly on the stool, but other times you’ll need to wear gloves and a disposable device to break the pellet to test it.

  • Tapeworms are creamy white, have a flat body, and have many stingers. They average 10-60 cm long. [5] X Research Resources www.cdc.gov/parasites/dipylidium/faqs.html[6] X Research Resources www.pets.webmd.com/cats/tapeworms-cats
  • Dipylidium caninum : Cats can become infected with this tapeworm by ingesting fleas infected with eggs. [7] X Research Sources
  • Tapeworm Taenia taeniaeformis : Cats can acquire this tapeworm by hunting, catching and eating rodents infected with the tapeworm. [8] X Research Sources
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Identify roundworms. Roundworms are very common and look like noodles. They average 5 -10 cm long but can grow up to 12 cm. [9] X Research Sources There are two strains of roundworms, both of which enter cats in several ways:

  • Toxocara cati worm : This worm can be passed from mother’s milk and most kittens are infected with this worm from birth. This is a strain of worms that cause swelling in the abdomen of kittens, and cause diarrhea and vomiting.
  • Toxascaris leonine worm : This worm can be transmitted by contact with other infected cats or rodent subspecies. This worm may be vomited up or lying on the stool.
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Identify hookworms. Hookworms are very small (0.5 to 1 cm in length), twisted, and have hook-like mouths. They are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Hookworm Ancylostoma duodenalis can be found in breast milk, but kittens can also become infected by walking on the ground or in bed with the worms.

  • Their teeth-like mouth will hook into the intestinal lining and release anticoagulants that cause bleeding in the intestines. Kittens infected with this worm will be anemic, lack energy, and grow poorly.
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Have your veterinarian check your cat for heartworm infections. Heartworms are more common in dogs than cats, but cats can still be infected. This type of worm is more commonly found in the blood vessels than in the stomach, meaning you can only get it checked out by your vet.

  • Dirofilaria immitis : Mosquitoes infected with this worm can deposit eggs into the cat’s bloodstream. Signs are often nonspecific such as lack of energy, weight loss, and cough. The sad thing is that many cats show no symptoms and die suddenly because a blood vessel is blocked that can’t bring blood to the heart.
  • Image titled Identify Worms in a Cat Step 14

    Image titled Identify Worms in a Cat Step 14

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    Go to the vet to get a sample for analysis. The best way to test for worms (not including heartworms) before they cause serious health problems is to take a cat stool sample to the vet clinic. Adult worms can lay eggs while living in the intestines of cats. Worm eggs are usually (but not always) excreted in the feces and can be seen through preparation and microscopic observation. [10] X Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases and Parasitpogy. 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell

    • The eggs of different worm species have different shapes that help them identify them.
    • If your examination of your cat and its feces shows no worms, that doesn’t mean your cat doesn’t have worms. It’s just that the worms are not eliminated from the body. Many cats have severe worms but fail to excrete any. The only way to be sure is to get a sample of your cat’s feces for your veterinarian to analyze. [11] X Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases and Parasitpogy . 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell
    Brian Bourquin, DVM

    Brian Bourquin, DVM

    Veterinarian for cats

    Brian Bourquin is a veterinarian and owner of the Boston Veterinary Clinic, a veterinary and pet care clinic with two campuses in the South End/Bay Village and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in basic veterinary medicine, health care and preventive care, critical and emergency care, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. This clinic also offers specialty services in behavior modification, nutrition, acupuncture pain therapy, and laser therapies. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA (American Association of Veterinary Hospitals) certified veterinary hospital and the first and only hospital in Boston to be certified as Fearless. Brian has over 19 years of experience in the veterinary industry and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University.

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    Brian Bourquin, DVM
    Brian Bourquin, DVM
    Veterinarian for cats

    Experts agree: Collecting a cat’s stool sample twice a year is the best way to check for worms. This is especially important if your cat is out and about, although indoor cats are also at risk for worms.

  • Advice

    • Identifying infected catworms is not just a school exercise because different worms have different specific drugs to kill. In the short term, however, it helps if you, the cat’s owner, are suspecting that your domestic cat has worms.
    • Identifying the type of worm will help you get a rough estimate of what worms your domestic cat is likely to have.
    • A cat that is bloated, lacks fat, and has not been dewormed in the last 6 months has a high chance of having a severe worm infection. However, other health conditions can also cause these signs, so you need to bring your cat to the doctor if in doubt.

    Warning

    • With the exception of heartworms, there is no more effective way to prevent worms than by minimizing your cat’s exposure.
    • Always wash your hands – and make sure children in the home also wash their hands after coming into contact with cats of unknown worm status. Although feline worms do not live in the human stomach, they can hide under the skin and cause consequences, especially if they migrate to the eyes.
    • Identifying cats with worms and the type of worms they are infected with will help keep your cat as healthy as possible. In addition, worms in cats can also be transmitted to people, especially children, who do not wash their hands carefully after playing with cats. With a little attention to your cat’s health, a litter box, and a poop analysis once a year, you can keep your cats and family members worm-free.
    X

    This article was co-written by Brian Bourquin, DVM. Brian Bourquin is a veterinarian and owner of the Boston Veterinary Clinic, a veterinary and pet care clinic with two campuses in the South End/Bay Village and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in basic veterinary medicine, health care and preventive care, critical and emergency care, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. This clinic also offers specialty services in behavior modification, nutrition, acupuncture pain therapy, and laser therapies. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA (American Association of Veterinary Hospitals) certified veterinary hospital and the first and only hospital in Boston to be certified as Fearless. Brian has over 19 years of experience in the veterinary industry and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University.

    There are 8 references cited in this article that you can see at the bottom of the page.

    This post has been viewed 9,265 times.

    Intestinal parasites, also known as worms, are commonly found in kittens and large cats. These nasty parasites enter the body in many ways. Kittens can contract worm eggs from their mother’s milk, older cats from hookworms through the skin, and tapeworms through infected fleas, rabbits, and rodents. Heartworms are very common in cats, so it’s important to know how to recognize the signs in them to get the necessary treatment as soon as possible.

    Thank you for reading this post How to Identify a Cat with Worms at Tnhelearning.edu.vn You can comment, see more related articles below and hope to help you with interesting information.

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