Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Whether living indoors or spending time outdoors, cats can also host to internal parasites such as roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms. Kittens often get helminths from their mothers when they suckle milk, while adult cats may accidentally get helminths by eating worm eggs or eating worms. Since cats are relatively susceptible to helminths, it's important to recognize the warning signs so you can get your cat to see the vet early. If left untreated, helminths can cause symptoms such as dull hair or an enlarged abdomen, which in rare cases can cause severe fatigue in a cat. Worm removal is relatively easy if you use the correct worm bleach. With a little bit of knowledge, it's also easy to determine if your cat has a helminth infection.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Symptoms

1. 

   
   
   Watch for changes in your cat's coat. The cat's coat is usually shiny, but if the cat is infected with a helminth the fur will become dull or flattened.
   • This can be caused by dehydration or poor absorption of nutrients due to a parasitic infection.

2. 

   Check your cat's gums. Healthy cats have pink gums just like humans. Pale or white gums may be a sign of anemia, usually caused by a parasitic infection.
   • To check your cat's gums, place the cat on your lap or beside your body. Then, gently grasp the cat's head with your hand, one hand under the jaw, and one hand behind the ear. Use your fingers to turn the cat's upper lip up so that the gums above the teeth are exposed.
   • If the gums are pale, get your cat to see the vet as soon as possible.

3. 

   
   
   Check your cat's feces. If your cat is pooping with a litter box, you can easily keep an eye on the litter. Check for the following symptoms:
   • Black, tar-colored stools may be a sign of blood loss from hookworms attached to your cat's intestinal wall.
   • Cats can get diarrhea because the worms take up space in their intestines and interfere with digestion.
   • If your cat has had diarrhea for longer than 24 hours or you see fresh, tarry-black stools, see your vet.

4. 

   
   
   Check for vomiting waste. Vomiting is a common condition in cats. However, if you vomit frequently, your cat should be seen by the vet as it could be a sign of a worm infection or other health problems.
   • Worms can induce vomiting in your cat by blocking circulation to the stomach or irritating the stomach lining.

5. 

   Pay attention to your cat's food intake. Cats with severe helminths often lose their appetite.
   • This is due to many factors such as inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, stomach pain, and the physical space that helminths take up in the gut.

6. 

   Watch for any changes in your cat's body shape. Cats with severe helminths often have a large belly and a swollen abdomen.
   • Like vomiting, bloating is common and can have many causes. However, this is alarming enough for you to bring your cat to the vet, whatever the underlying cause.

7. 

   Watch for signs of lethargy. If the worms remove nutrients directly from the gut, the cat or kitten may become lethargic, lifeless, and energetic. Notice the dramatic changes in your cat's energy levels.
   • Lethargy is also a symptom of many different health problems and you should definitely bring your cat to the vet.
   • As the person who understands the cat's normal energy levels best, you should keep an eye on it to detect a sudden drop in your cat's energy level or play intensity.
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Part 2 of 3: Evidence

1. 

   Check for eggs in the cat's feces. Wear disposable plastic gloves and use disposable tools such as popsicles to check your cat's feces in the litter box for signs of worms.
   • Tapeworms can leave egg sacs on the surface of the stool. Egg bags look like sesame seeds or cucumber seeds, sometimes moving and moving.
   • It is often difficult to see an entire tapeworm in cat feces, but if they do, they will look like flattened, cream-colored worms made up of several segments. Adult flukes can be up to 60 cm long.
   • Roundworm eggs are often too small to see with the naked eye, but sometimes an entire worm can float out in the feces or even vomit out by a cat. Roundworms look like pasta noodles: long, smooth and the same size as pasta. Adult roundworms are usually about 7.5-15 cm long.
   • Hookworms are also too small to see. The adult hookworm is also small, usually only 2-3 mm long, so it is difficult to detect.

2. 

   Check your cat's anus. The tapeworm's egg sac may come out of your cat's anus and latch onto the fur. So, you can conclude that a cat is infected with a tapeworm if the white egg sac is a bit cloudy, like sesame seeds, on the cat's fur.

3. 

   Check out your cat's sleeping place and favorite areas. The tapeworm's egg sac can sometimes get stuck in places where cats sit, like sleeping spaces or soft furniture. Therefore, you should check these places if you suspect your cat is infected with helminths. advertisement

Part 3 of 3: Testing

1. 

   Call your vet to schedule an appointment. If you are concerned that your cat is infected with helminths, one of the most reliable ways is to bring a stool sample to the vet for analysis. The stool sample will be examined under a microscope to detect helminth eggs.
   • Each worm's eggs are shaped differently, making it the most effective way to identify the type (s) of worms a cat has.
   • When calling the vet, describe the symptoms your cat is exhibiting.

2. 

   Collect a stool sample. If your veterinarian orders a stool sample, collect some cat feces and store it in a bag until you see your cat.
   • Worm eggs are easy to store, but it's best to store them in a bag in a dark, cool place like a garage or a shady warehouse.
   • Do not store feces bags in the food preparation room and always wash your hands after taking a stool sample.
   • To reduce the risk of a negative fecal sample test, some veterinarians will order a pooled stool sample, ie three times the cat defecates for 3 days separately and in the same bag.

3. 

   Take the cat's stool sample to the clinic. The veterinarian will examine the cat and conduct a stool sample if necessary.
   • If your cat is infected with helminths, your vet will prescribe medication. Give your cat medication as directed and the worm infection should improve soon.
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Advice

• Be aware that cats can be a host for certain types of helminths, especially roundworms, without showing signs of disease.However, if the worms reproduce and accumulate in the intestinal tract, they can absorb nutrients and deprive the cat of essential nutrients, which in the long run can adversely affect the cat's health. Take your cat to the veterinarian for regular check-ups to avoid this and other health risks.
• You can help reduce your cat's risk of infection with parasites. Keep your cat's litter box clean by removing solid waste every day. Regularly clean the sand tray with a small amount of bleach mixed with water (1:30 ratio) or mild dish soap.
• Vacuum the house at least once a week to prevent lice.

Warning

• If you suspect your cat is infected with helminths or have checked your cat's helminths, wash your hands after handling and remove all of the cat's feces from the tray. Keep young children away from the cat until you take the cat to the vet for treatment.
• Note that a negative stool test can sometimes be misleading. Some types of parasites lay eggs heterogeneously, so even if the cat is infected with the worms, there may be no sign of the stool sample you collected. It may be necessary to repeat tests to diagnose infection with certain types of parasites.