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Cat worms are a general term for parasites that attack the cat's digestive system. Cats that go outside are the most, but not exclusively, exposed to worms. Parasites that enter their organisms can weaken the animal and cause him various ailments. To avoid unpleasant symptoms and not to get infected with worms, your cat needs to be dewormed regularly.

Cat wormsis a common name for many species of parasites that live in the cat's digestive system. All animals, both dogs and cats, are exposed to parasites, i.e. organisms that feed at the expense of another organism in which they live.

Cat worms - what parasites threaten the cat?

Roundworms are the most common in cats. They are parasites that a cat can infect outside by burying in the ground, drinking water from a puddle and swallowing their eggs at the same time, but also kittens sucking milk from a sick mother are at risk.

The presence of roundworm eggs in the soil and sand is not uncommon, therefore cats that go outside easily become infected with them. After swallowing the eggs, roundworms develop in the cat's gastrointestinal tract and are eliminated from it via faeces or vomit. They are easy to spot because they resemble quite thick white threads 5-10 cm long.

Less common parasites in cats are visible only under the microscope hookworms (the animal becomes infected with them by swallowing larvae in the ground) and tapeworms (eating rodents, birds infected with this parasite) visible in the feces or on the hair around the anus in the form of white fragments that resemble grains of rice.

It happens that a cat (usually young or immunocompromised) brings lamblas from a walk. It is a protozoan that enters the cat's body through infected raw meat or by eating cysts in the ground.

Important

How does a cat get infected with worms?

The risk that the cat will have worms is high. Parasites are transmitted:

  • by food (e.g. through raw meat),
  • through the placenta in utero,
  • with mother's milk,
  • by contact with faeces,
  • by contact with a sick animal,
  • by fleas that transmit e.g. tapeworms,
  • parasites can also be transferred from the court to the house on human shoes.

Cat worms- symptoms of worming

Many parasites living in the cat's body do not cause any signs in the animal, but most often an infected cat suffers from ailments in the digestive system. If a cat has worms, the following are a serious problem:

  • chronic diarrhea,
  • vomiting,
  • related weight loss,
  • it happens that mucus and blood are visible in the stool.

The animal may be apathetic, weakened, restless (wags its tail often), deprived of appetite (roundworms) or increased appetite (roundworms, tapeworms) depending on the type of parasite. His coat becomes dull and weak.

Cat worms - he alth effects

If untreated worm infections can lead to cat anemia or exhaustion.

The presence of parasites also results in diseases caused by their toxins. This can cause poisoning, but also allergies and skin ailments.

Cat worms - diagnosis

The symptoms alone are not a sufficient reason to diagnose a cat with worms, so if we suspect an infection, specialist examination is required.

The basic thing is stool testing - it's best to try to collect a few samples over a few days and bring them to the vet.

Cat deworming: pills and other preparations

The way to get rid of worms from a cat is to regularly deworm the animal. Adult cats should be dewormed every 3 months. In this way, we destroy parasites and prevent the prolongation of their harmful effects in the digestive tract of our pet. It is worth remembering that deworming a cat does not prevent new parasites from entering its body.

The risk of parasite infestation can be reduced by regularly worming your pet, using anti-flea preparations, not giving your cat raw meat, not letting it outside, and by regularly cleaning up your cat's faeces.

The most popular deworming preparations are in the form of tablets, but there are also gels and pastes, and even preparations for sprinkling the hair. All of them contain several active substances that eliminate various types of parasites (they are safe for the cat).

The amount of the drug is important, so it's better not to deworm your cat yourself, but go to the vet who will select the dose depending on the weight of the pet.

Important

Deworming kittens

Little kittens need to be dewormed more often as their bodies are less resistant to the harmful effects of parasites. Therefore, kittens should be wormed for the first time in the 3rd week after birth, and then go through twodeworming with an interval of 2 weeks (to give the larvae time to develop into adults). Subsequent doses of the drug may be administered every 3 months, i.e. in the third, sixth, etc.

Cat worms - risk of human infection

Some cat worms can be dangerous to humans. Fortunately, contracting cat parasites is quite difficult. The most vulnerable children are small children who do not yet care about hygiene (pet the cat, then put dirty hands in their mouths) and have lower immunity.

The easiest way to get infected is roundworm, but also tapeworm, the most difficult - protozoa and hookworm.

Parasites can be dangerous to he alth and life, so you need to regularly deworm your cat and take care of hygiene by cleaning its litter box, stroking the animal or feeding it.

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About the authorMałgorzata Wójcik The editor in charge of the website. Journalist with 25 years of experience. From the beginning, she was associated with the subject of children and he alth - she worked, among others. in the magazine "M jak mama". At mjakmama.pl, she specializes in pregnancy and childbirth. Privately - mother of three adolescent children. He is eager to read and walks in the woods with his dog.

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