Description of Worms that Cats Can Get

All cats, and especially kittens, are susceptible to worms and can die from severe infections. Cats suffering from worms will show a multitude of symptoms, including a dull coat, excessive coughing, vomiting, blood in the stool (feces), appetite loss and dehydration. Parasite infestation occurs when cats ingest the adults or larvae from the ground, the feces or vomit of an infected cat, rodents, birds and insects. Kittens can contract worms directly from the mother before they are born or from her milk while nursing.

Roundworm

Adult roundworms (Toxascaris leonina and Toxocara cati) are cream colored, 3 to 5 inches long and live in the intestines. The female can lay as many as 20,000 eggs each day and the eggs are passed out of the cat with the feces. Once the eggs are out of the cat they can live for many years until they are eaten by a host.

Hookworm

Besides the infection methods mentioned above, the hookworm (Ancylostoma and Uncinaria) larvae can penetrate through the skin or the foot pads of your cat. Once inside, the larvae migrates to the lungs and than to the intestines where the adults hook themselves to the wall and feed off the blood of the cat. The anti-coagulate that they use keeps the feeding spot from clotting, so it can keep bleeding even if the hookworm moves elsewhere. These very slender parasites, less than 1/2 inch long, can live as long as the cat.

Tapeworm

The small head of the tapeworm (cestodes) is buried in the lining of the small intestine and its flat body segments are filled with eggs. When the end segment is mature, it breaks off and passes with the feces. Segments can be seen on the cat's tail, near his rectum or in the feces. Live segments are about 1/4 inch long and look like a grain of rice. Dead segments look like a small seed. Cats can get tapeworms from the above methods as well as by ingesting infected fleas when they groom.

Heartworm

The adult heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is long and skinny and lives in the lungs of the cat but passes to the heart when they die. The heartworm starts its life as a harmless microfilaria in the body of many mammals including cats. The microfilaria is picked up by a mosquito, when it bites an infected host, than matures to its larval stage. When your cat is bitten by the mosquito it becomes infected with the heartworm. Though cats seem to have a natural resistance to this parasite, they can still be problematic and even lethal to cats.

Treatment

When the infestation is large enough, the worms can be seen in the feces or vomit of an infected cat. Keep parasites under control before they get to this stage; clean the litter box daily, regularly disinfect the box with a weak bleach solution, avoid raw meat diets, reduce hunting activities and keep pregnant females dewormed. Veterinarians use a microscope to find parasite eggs in the cat feces or vomit. You will be given the appropriate medications, dewormers and advice that you need to get rid of the worms.