Worms in cats: types, symptoms, treatment and prevention

Worms in cats are a fairly common occurrence. Moreover, parasitic worms infect both those cats that do not go outside at all, and those who like to walk outside. Many cat owners wonder how their pets become infected with this disease. It's very simple: the eggs of worms are brought home by the person himself on the sole of his shoe.

All cat owners should periodically carry out antihelminthic prophylaxis, and if there are obvious signs of the disease, the necessary therapy is required. Below we will consider in detail the types of worms and the symptoms of the disease. Detailed recommendations for the treatment and prevention of helminthiasis will be given.

Types of worms

In veterinary medicine, helminthiasis is a fairly well-known disease that is often found in pets. Helminths (worms) that infect a cat’s body come in several varieties. The most common types of worms in cats:

Round nematodes or white worms are the most common parasites. There are mature worms reaching 10 centimeters in length. The most common nematodes are hookworms. They are usually less than 2 centimeters in size and are found in the small intestine. Roundworms feed on the blood of an infected animal and can cause life-threatening anemia.
Flat, these include trematodes or flukes, they infect the lungs and liver. When infected with this type of worm, sometimes pets do not show signs of illness at all. The worms that cause paragonimiasis migrate to the lungs and destroy lung tissue. In this case, the animal has a cough. Opisthorchiasis larvae parasitize the liver, disrupting its full functioning. They can also colonize the pancreas and gallbladder.
Tapeworms usually reach up to 70 centimeters and consist of multiple segments. The cat's body in this case is usually used as a temporary host. Animals usually get sick from eating a sick animal. Tapeworms can be detected when examining your pet. Small segments of a parasite that looks like rice are sometimes found on the fur near the cat's anus.

Roundworms are usually small in size, but can cause serious harm to the animal, since they are found in the body in large quantities and affect not only the intestines, but also the liver and esophagus.

Types of worms dangerous to humans

Worms found in cats can also cause serious trouble for owners, as they can cause serious harm to human health. Infestation is especially dangerous for children.

The danger of opisthorchiasis is that it affects the digestive organs: liver, pancreas, gall bladder.
Diphyllobothriasis resides in the small intestine and is sometimes about 10 meters long.
Echinococcosis and alveococcosis are extremely dangerous for people, as their larvae can cause serious harm to internal organs.
Roundworms enter the body through the skin and infect the human blood and liver.

The larvae of alveococcosis can remain in a pet for years without causing much harm to it, and a person faces mortal danger in the form of: liver tumors, metastases of the lungs or brain.

Tapeworms can enter through fleas on the fur of a sick animal. Thus, it is necessary to begin treatment for worms in cats as soon as possible.

Toxocariasis

The disease is caused by the parasite Toxocara cati. It can occur in cats of all breeds and ages, but usually affects only kittens. There are described cases of human infection, but they concern children and the elderly. The body of adults who do not have problems with immunity quite actively resists infection and destroys the larvae that manage to get inside.

All nematodes, and Toxocara is no exception, have a rather complex and long life cycle. In particular, there are many possible routes of infection:

Kittens can become infected directly through their mother's milk.
Eating food contaminated with parasite eggs, drinking contaminated water.
The animal can also eat a mouse, frog or beetle, which may also contain dormant eggs of parasitic nematodes.

Female parasites are extremely fertile. Every day they release thousands of eggs into the thickness of semi-digested food masses, which after a few hours end up in the external environment. But they do not immediately become dangerous for animals: first, the eggs need to mature in the external environment for several weeks. Only after this do they acquire invasiveness (the ability to become infected).

Eggs are quite stable even in outdoor conditions (provided that they are not irradiated by solar ultraviolet radiation), but indoors they can be stored for several months, or even years!

So, when moving to a new house or apartment, we strongly advise you to clean thoroughly, not sparing with chlorine-based disinfectants. If you have such an opportunity, you need to “fry” the premises using a quartz irradiator.

Ways of infecting cats with worms

Of course, cats that walk on their own can become infected anywhere and anytime. But often those pets who have never left the house in their lives become infected with a similar disease. Main sources of infection:

Products. Raw meat and fish are especially dangerous for animals.
The trash can is a big danger in summer, as flies can land on it. They are the main carriers of helminth eggs.
Human clothes and shoes. A person, without knowing it, can bring worm eggs into an apartment on the soles of shoes with the remains of cat and dog feces.

Kittens have the only way of infection is from an infected cat, which can infect them both in utero and through breast milk.

General information

In the process of life, the tapeworm changes several carriers, one of them is intermediate. The larvae of the parasite are eaten by lice eaters and fleas; most often they are considered carriers. The permanent place of residence is animals that lick their fur after them. Having penetrated inside the pet, the worm attaches to the lining of the small intestine. The development of cucumber tapeworm in cats and dogs occurs within 4 weeks, then the parasite emerges in the form of separate body parts that are filled with larvae. Each segment can contain more than 25 individuals.

Some of the released worms remain on the pet’s coat, while others spread throughout the habitat and await the next carrier.

You can become infected with a parasite anywhere. The highest concentration of worms is observed in nurseries where there are a large number of animals or in areas for walking. A pet can become infected just as easily as a stray cat or dog. People become infected infrequently. Children are most at risk because they have more contact with their pets.

Infection of a person with dipilidia is random. The parasite can be acquired by ingesting the saliva of a pet or an infected flea, or by eating dirty vegetables and fruits.

Symptoms of animal infection

At home, it is impossible to diagnose the presence of worms yourself, since sometimes the symptoms can be vague. The condition of the animal depends on the type of parasite that infected the body. The cat must be shown to the veterinarian, he will take the necessary tests. For example, the exact type of parasite can be accurately detected in stool.

You cannot engage in self-diagnosis, since it is quite problematic to determine the type of worms yourself.

Poor appetite. Sometimes, on the contrary, there is an increase in appetite.
Loose stools, which at times alternate with constipation.
Vomit. Vomiting with worms or blood occurs.
There are worms in the stool.
There is blood or mucus in the stool.
Itching that irritates the anal area. Cats seem to “ride” with their tails on the floor.
Periodic bloating.
Cough, sometimes difficulty breathing.
Kittens lag behind their peers in growth.
The animal becomes lethargic, weak, devoid of playfulness, and lies down more.
Dull, lacking shine wool.
Losing weight of an animal.
Yellowness appears on the mucous membranes of the eyes.
Fluid comes out of the eyes.
In extreme cases, limb paralysis occurs.
Premature labor often occurs in pregnant cats.

Treatment

What to do if the owner suspects worms in his pet? At the first sign of worms in cats, you should contact your veterinarian. Since infestation indicates that there are many parasites in the pet’s body. It is not recommended to treat your pet with medications at home.

First, the veterinarian will take tests to identify the type of parasite, and then prescribe the only correct medications that will help cure the cat. For example, if you give an animal a medicine that helps eliminate tapeworms, it will not be effective against other types of parasites.

List of drugs

Usually the veterinarian prescribes:

Pirantel. This is a mild remedy against roundworms. It does not kill the parasites inside the cat, and only immobilizes them. Thus, it does not lead to intoxication of the body and is safe. Worms can be found in your pet's feces after defecation.
The drugs praziquantel, fenasal, and phenalidone are effective against infection with flatworms.
If you treat roundworms with detrazine or fembendazole, you can quickly achieve the desired result.
Praziquantel helps kill the fluke that attacks the lungs.
Milbemax is effective against roundworms.
Complex treatment under the supervision of a veterinarian is necessary if the animal is infected with opisthorchiasis, which affects the liver.

Basic rules for taking medications

Medicines should be given to the cat in the morning before meals.
It is necessary to strictly observe the dosage of the drug.
Sometimes, as prescribed by the veterinarian, before giving the cat medicine it is necessary to cleanse the intestines.
Medicines in tablet form should be crushed and placed on the root of the tongue. Thus, the pet will be forced to swallow it.
It is quite effective to add medications to food.
If an animal behaves aggressively, it must first be restrained so that it does not injure itself.

After 14 days, the cat needs to be given the medicine prescribed by the veterinarian again.

Danger to humans

Borage itself feels great both in the body of animals and in the body of people. However, it is very difficult for a person to become infected with bovine tapeworm, since the principle of the disease remains the same - you need to swallow an infected flea or cat saliva. This trouble is very likely to happen only to children who are constantly in contact with a pet.

The tapeworm develops in the human body in the same way as in the body of a cat. Approximately 4 weeks after infection, the worm grows to 15-20 cm and lays larvae.

But, despite the large size of the worm, its vital activity does not often cause discomfort to the carrier.

The disease, as a rule, passes completely without symptoms and only in rare cases is the following likely:

Indigestion.
Pain in the navel area.
Itching in the anus.
Poor appetite.
Dizziness, sleep disturbance, anxiety.
Pale skin.

Diagnostic measures for infection are limited to stool examination, which probably needs to be done several times.

Treatment consists of taking medications that contain praziquantel. Medicines are used once in a dosage, which is calculated in the proportion of 7-12 mg per 1 kg of human weight. As an alternative, you can use products that contain niclosamide as the active ingredient. Antihelminthic drugs based on it are also taken once in a dosage of 3 g. To confirm the result of therapy, repeat stool examination is necessary.

If white specks that resemble rice or cucumber seeds are detected in the stool, there is no need to rush to independently diagnose an infection with feline dipylidia. It is necessary to submit feces to the laboratory to exclude infection with other varieties of tapeworm.

For humans, the chain worm is considered conditionally dangerous. The parasite usually stays in the human body for no more than one year, after which it dies. Because of their underdeveloped immunity, it is easier for children to become infected with dipilidia. Most children become infected between the ages of 5 and 12 when they play with street animals. The presence of worms in a child's body can lead to an allergic reaction, regular colds and weight loss. If a person’s disease is identified early, it can be easily treated.

Folk remedies

The question of how to rid a cat of worms using folk remedies is asked by many owners. In addition to medications, worms can be removed from cats using folk remedies. If the recipes accumulated by the people help, then worms can be found in feces.

It is necessary to consult with your veterinarian before using traditional recipes.

Garlic tincture enema

Worms in cats can be expelled by cleansing the intestines.

Finely chop 6 cloves of garlic.
Pour 250 ml. water at room temperature.
Leave for 2 hours.
Give an enema.

Pumpkin seed infusion

Peel 300 grams of pumpkin seeds, while preserving the green shell.
Grind.
Gradually pour in 50 ml of water at room temperature.
Add 15 grams of honey.
Mix.
Give the resulting infusion to the cat for 1 hour.
After 30 minutes, do an enema using warm water.

Herbal collection

Worms in cats can be expelled with the following herbal mixture.

Take 20 grams:

Tansy flowers.
Peppermint.
Buckthorn bark.
Wormwood.
Wild carrot seeds.
Brew 2 tablespoons of herbal mixture with a glass of boiling water.
Give 3 tablespoons in the morning for 3 days.

Carrot juice enemas

Squeeze approximately 20 ml of juice from fresh carrots.
Do it once a day for 7 days.

Onion infusion

Cut a small onion into 4 parts.
Pour 1 glass of boiled water, but not boiling water.
Give to your pet in the morning for a week.

How can you get rid of helminths?

To combat helminths, anthelmintic drugs are used; Consult your doctor about the most effective treatment option. Please note that if routine anthelmintic treatment is missed, kittens may become re-infected. This may result in your kitten vomiting adult roundworms even though he has previously received treatment. Therefore, observing the frequency of use of drugs against helminths and carrying out constant treatments in accordance with the instructions for use and the recommendations of the veterinarian help protect against infection.

Prevention

As you know, it is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it later. If you follow some rules, you can protect not only the cat, but also yourself from these troubles, which are sometimes very difficult to deal with.

If you do not give your cat raw meat or fish, you can avoid such a problem as worms in your cat. Raw foods must first be boiled and then fed to your pet.
To prevent cats from getting worms, they need to be treated with anthelmintic medications once every 3 months.
In order to avoid this problem, you need to keep your cat's litter box clean and disinfect it regularly.
If you regularly treat your animal with a flea solution, your cat may not develop worms at all.
Outdoor shoes should be stored in a special closet, away from the pet.
It is necessary to do regular cleaning of the door mat.
Do not pet the cat immediately after going outside; you need to wash your hands first.
A bell on the animal's neck will prevent it from catching a mouse or bird, which could become a source of disease.

Prevention of the disease is important. If your pet is healthy, then the owner’s risk of contracting helminths will be significantly reduced, and a healthy animal will delight you with its playfulness and beautiful appearance.

We recommend reading: What should you consider when choosing and using anthelmintics for cats?