Worms in Cats and Kittens (Deworming). How to determine if a cat has worms The cat has worms in his feces

Any cat owner knows (and if he doesn’t know, he suspects) that his pet may develop worms. Since this topic is unpleasant, and society has instilled in it a shade of shame, inconvenient questions are postponed until the last moment. Shy owners sound the alarm when white worms appear in the feces. After all, it’s obvious here that these are worms that can live not only in a cat, but also in a person.

The prevalence of roundworms is based on their unpretentiousness in finding a host. Roundworms can live in the bodies of cats, dogs, rodents and even insects. Some of them can change hosts throughout their lives, but in this case the source of infection is considered an intermediate host. Your cat may pick up fly, flea or mosquito repellent sheets.

Important! Not all roundworms are as harmless as roundworms; some of them, after entering the intestines, invade the bloodstream, lungs, heart and even the brain.

Read also: Brown discharge from a cat's eyes: causes, treatment

Note! The body fragments of flatworms are called segments, and the head is called the scolex.

Important! Against the background of worm prevention, one must not lose attention to the destruction of fleas. The latter are intermediate carriers of some types of flatworms.

Unlike roundworms, cestodes are not only securely attached to the intestinal walls, they also hide. In most cases, stool analysis does not clarify the picture, since the separated member simply did not end up in the feces. Eggs are also not easy to detect, since they are laid by young individuals that have already emerged from the cat. Before deciding what to do with the patient, the doctor takes not only a stool sample, but also a scraping from the anus. This procedure is a little unpleasant, but painless.

The only one positive point, which is worth mentioning the following - flatworms are difficult to get infected with. Almost all representatives of this species require an intermediate host to mature. If a cat swallows a detached penis, infection will occur, but for the process to start, someone must carry the egg. The most famous cucumber tapeworm uses fleas as intermediate carriers. That is, the egg, which is not visible to the human eye, is eaten by a flea, matures in it and is then passed on from the flea to the cat.

Cats, our pets, despite their cleanliness, often become infected with worms, even if they do not leave the house. Microscopic eggs of worms are carried by the wind, we carry them on our shoes, and there are many other ways of infection.

But some helminths (worms) cause the animal’s body serious harm due to mechanical damage to tissues, poisoning with toxic products of its vital activity, allergization and decreased immunity in the pet. Most dangerous flatworms in cats .

Monitor your animal carefully for signs of helminthiasis.

What worms can cats get?

Roundworms

In most cases, cats are diagnosed with infection with nematodes such as hookworms and.

• – small worms up to 1 cm in size. They feed on the host’s blood, leading to anemia and causing sharp teeth There are many wounds in the intestinal walls. Several dozen of these helminths can lead to death small cat in a matter of days;

Tapeworms (cestodes)

Flatworms (flukes)

Flatworms in cats are quite rare. Trematodes are often called flukes due to the suckers that are located on their bodies.

Trematodes are white thread-like worms that attach to the intestinal walls using suction cups, causing mechanical damage to the mucous membrane and also have a toxic effect.

• Liver fluke (cat fluke) up to 5 mm long causes opisthorchiasis – most dangerous disease, it affects the liver and gall bladder.

What if you notice white flat and small worms on your cat?

If you find small white flat worms in your cat's feces, then we are most likely talking about flatworms (flukes), which are deadly for your pets.

You shouldn’t immediately run to the veterinary pharmacy and buy the most potent drug from worms wide range actions - remember that than more effective drug, the more toxic it is, so the consequences of such treatment can be unpredictable.

If you really love your pet and care about it, then do not hesitate to collect its feces in a clean glass jar (you can purchase a special container at the pharmacy for stool testing) and take it to the veterinary clinic for analysis.

An experienced veterinarian will tell you the optimal and relatively safe remedy for treatment.

Worms can be detected not only by direct visual observation, but also by carefully monitoring the cat’s behavior and well-being.

If she became lethargic, if the digestive process was disrupted due to dysbacteriosis, allergic reactions, then this confirms the presence of helminthiasis.

Thus, lungworm causes a cough in the animal, loss of appetite, vomiting with foam, diarrhea, and the liver fluke causes abdominal pain, sudden changes in appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and high fever in the cat.

How to remove flatworms from a cat

Doctor medical sciences, Professor German Shaevich Gandelman

Work experience: more than 30 years.

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The most common disease among cats is worms or helminthic diseases of cats.

Cats during walks, in close contact with environment, expose themselves to the danger of becoming infected with helminth eggs located in large quantities on a variety of subjects. A particularly great danger in this regard is provided by the direct contact of your cat with other homeless, stray animals.

Being essentially predators, cats never refuse raw fish or meat offered to them, which in our time of market relations can be infected with helminthic infestation.

Some types of worms cause characteristic, pronounced symptoms of helminthic disease, while other worms, for a long period of time, hiding in the muscles or liver of the cat do not show themselves in any way.

Taking into account the above, cat owners need to carry out preventive deworming with anthelmintic drugs.

What types of worms that infect cats are there?

There are several types of helminthiasis in cats, which are classified by experts depending on the type of worm that caused the helminthiasis in the cat.

Larvae migrating throughout the cat’s body can be found not only in the liver and lungs. Some of the larvae, quickly making their way through the lungs, enter the big circle blood circulation, and from there - into various fabrics animal, where a shell forms around them. Light nodules appear in the kidneys, liver, heart muscle and other muscles, with larvae located in the center.

Such nodules are also formed during internal organs, accidentally infected mice and rats. A cat that eats a sick mouse also becomes ill.

In kittens, intrauterine infection is also possible through the systemic circulation, when they are introduced into the fetus through the placenta. The larvae linger in the liver and lungs of the fetus, and in the first days of the kittens’ life, they penetrate their intestines.

Symptoms With severe infestation, the cat loses a lot of weight, even with good appetite. A sick cat vomits, sometimes with blood, and gastrointestinal upset occurs - diarrhea. Kittens infected in utero may die from blockage or rupture small intestine. In young cats, we also note gastrointestinal tract disorders.

Treatment. When carrying out deworming for toxascariasis, the following anthelmintics are used: pyrantel, ditrazine, fembendazole according to the instructions for their use.

Hookworm– Ankylostomosis. Whitish nematode with a reddish tint. In her mouth she has a capsule in which there are three pairs of symmetrically located teeth. The teeth are curved inward, like hooks, and those on the sides are larger than the rest.

Hookworms - males reach 9-12 mm in length, females do not grow more than 21 mm. Eggs oval shape stand out in external environment with feces. One hookworm lays about 16 thousand eggs every day. The lifespan of hookworms is from 43 to 100 weeks. In the cat's body, the larvae develop into adult worms after 17 days. Adults are localized in the intestines and feed on blood, causing anemia in the cat. Infection of a cat occurs in two ways - orally (swallowing eggs) and through the skin (larvae penetrate into circulatory system through the skin).

Pathogenesis. Hookworms in a cat’s body cause mechanical damage to tissues, leading to intestinal bleeding and general intoxication of the body.

Symptoms A sick cat eats poorly, drinks a lot, and becomes inactive. We note that the cat has a disorder gastrointestinal tract accompanied by vomiting blood and diarrhea mixed with blood.

Treatment. For deworming, pyrantel, fembendazole, febantel are used in accordance with the available instructions for the use of these drugs.

Signs of cat infection roundworms the following:

• Frequent vomiting, sometimes worms come out along with vomit and feces.
• Loss of appetite.
• Increased thirst.
• Constant diarrhea.
• Lethargy, loss of strength, decreased activity.

Tapeworms in cats

Alveococcosis- Alveococcosis is a helminthic disease. With this disease, small worms in a cat are localized in thin section intestines. Intermediate hosts are rodents. A cat becomes infected by ingesting the larvae by eating an infected mouse, rat, etc.

In most cases, there are no symptoms of the disease in cats.

It must be borne in mind that this helminthic disease is very dangerous for a cat, as it can be fatal.

Treatment. The following anthelmintic drugs are used in treatment: cetovex, fenasal, filixan according to the instructions for their use.

Symptoms A sick cat develops apathy, eats poorly, and becomes inactive. There is damage to the gastrointestinal tract - rumbling in the stomach, diarrhea, the cat vomits.

Treatment. For deworming, phenosal, skoben, and praziquantel are used. These drugs are used according to the instructions for their use.

The development cycle occurs with the participation of intermediate hosts - cyclops crustaceans, diaptomus, etc. and additional hosts - pike, perch, catfish and other fish.

Cats become infected when they eat raw, dried or poorly cooked fish that contain diphyllobothriasis larvae in their bodies.

Symptoms An infected cat loses its appetite, becomes weaker, and its fur becomes dull. The cat often vomits, sometimes mixed with blood. In cats, owners note disturbances in the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by both diarrhea and constipation. With prolonged invasion, anemia is recorded, the number of leukocytes increases, the amount of sodium and potassium in the blood serum decreases, and protein appears in the urine. Defeat from the side nervous system– in a cat it is accompanied by convulsions, intestinal blockage is possible.

Diagnosis diagnosed in a veterinary laboratory based on fecal ovoscopy.

Treatment. Praziquantel, phenalidone, phenosal are used for deworming. These drugs are used according to the instructions for their use.

Signs of tapeworm infection in a cat:

• Indigestion is accompanied by alternation loose stool with constipation.
• Lost appetite.
• Poor hair condition, sometimes hair loss.
• Anemia develops.
• Drowsiness, apathy.

After a cat is infected with tapeworms, they do not manifest themselves in any way; the disease is asymptomatic. Tapeworms are very dangerous to human health, as they can be fatal.

Flatworms in cats

Flatworms(trematodes and flukes). Flatworms in cats are quite rare. Flatworms cause diseases in cats such as:

Symptoms The disease is chronic, the sick cat coughs, sometimes with severe wheezing, eats poorly, shakes, body temperature may be elevated, sometimes the cat has a fever, the cat develops foamy vomiting, and diarrhea.

Diagnosis A cat is diagnosed with a disease based on the results of fecal ovoscopy.

Treatment. Praziquantel is used for deworming.

Opisthorchises develop with the participation of an intermediate host - a freshwater gill mollusk and additional hosts - carp fish (ide, dace, chebak, roach, bream, rudd, etc.). From the eggs swallowed by the mollusk, larvae develop - cercariae, which enter the water and actively penetrate the body of carp fish, encysting in their subcutaneous tissue, muscles, turning into metacercariae. Cats become infected by eating raw fish infested with metacercariae. The duration of development of opisthorchis from egg to the mature stage is about 4 months.

Symptoms With severe intoxication, the cat is exhausted, has sharply tousled fur and big belly, development of dropsy, during examination of the cat due to the presence pain syndrome prevents the owner from touching the belly. When palpating the liver, you can detect a sharp thickening of the liver, the presence of tubercles on it various shapes and magnitude. We note jaundice in a sick cat. Appears poor appetite, which alternates with periods of “gluttony,” during which the cat greedily swallows food in whole pieces. Periodically, the cat vomits yellow masses and diarrhea. A sick cat sometimes has a fever.

Diagnosis placed on the basis of clinical and epizootic data and the results of helminthocoprological studies.

Treatment. The use of conventional anthelmintic drugs for cats is not very effective. Required complex treatment under the supervision of veterinary clinic specialists.

How to deworm a cat for worms?

IN veterinary pharmacies sold for deworming cats the following drugs: panakur, febtal, dirofen, pyrantel, polyvercan, prazitel, profender.

How to properly deworm an adult cat?

How to remove worms from a kitten?

The kitten's body is more vulnerable and more susceptible to helminthic diseases. When kittens are infected with helminths, they weaken faster and their bodies become exhausted more quickly. Based on this, you need to start treating them for worms as early as possible. Veterinary pharmacies sell special gentle medications for kittens that do not injure the delicate gastrointestinal kitten tract. These drugs include: milbemax, polyvercan, prazicide, pyrantel, dirofen suspension.

What should you consider when treating your cat for worms?

1. Only healthy cats should be treated.
2. When treating cats for helminths, it is necessary to additionally administer Gamavit.
3. After giving the medicine, the cat must be given an adsorbent drug ( Activated carbon, enterosgel).
4. After using an anthelmintic, you will need to carefully monitor his toilet. It is necessary for the cat to go about its business, otherwise intoxication of the body will occur. If this does not happen within the first 3-4 hours, then the cat will need to be given a laxative syrup or a little Vaseline oil.
5. Repeated deworming must be done after 2 weeks. If you carry out preventive treatment rather than treatment, then once will be enough.

Additionally you should keep in mind that:

• A nursing or pregnant cat should not be dewormed (an exception can be carried out in case of urgent need).
• Kittens infected in the womb of a cat can be dewormed no earlier than 3 weeks after birth.
• Before vaccinating a cat against one or another infectious disease needs to be treated for worms.
• Drugs intended for humans should not be used on cats.

Possible complications in cats from the use of helminthic drugs

There are cases when a cat may have an individual intolerance to the drug used.

If your cat’s intoxication continues to increase, then you urgently need to take your pet to a veterinary clinic.

Most cats, when being treated for worms when given a tablet, begin to break free from you, scratch and spit out the given tablet. As a result, after several unsuccessful attempts to set the tablet, it becomes unusable and has to be thrown away.

To still give your cat a pill, there are several cunning tricks:

• You need to take the cat on your lap, placing it with its back to you. After this, the cat will need to unclench its jaws and place the tablet in its mouth, without allowing it to spit it out. After this, the cat must be stroked on the throat so that it swallows the tablet given to it. As aid You can give the cat some water.
• We grind the tablet into powder and mix it with the cat’s favorite treat and give it to the cat, making sure that she eats everything.
• Grind the tablet into powder and stir in a small amount of water. We collect all this into a disposable syringe without a needle, and slowly pour it into the cat’s mouth. During the procedure, it is necessary to hold the cat's muzzle so that it does not spit out the given medicine.
• We wrap the cat in a towel or any piece of thick fabric like a baby, laying it with its back up so that it cannot choke. Then pour the solution containing water and the crushed tablet into your mouth a little at a time.

Prevention of worms in cats

In order for your cat to be healthy and not be able to infect your children, who are constantly hanging around a common pet, it is necessary to promptly prevent the appearance of worms in the cat. In order to prevent helminthiases in cats, you need to fight:

• Raw fish and meat should be excluded from your cat's diet.
• Avoid contact of your cat with stray animals.
• Disinfect your cat's litter box periodically.
• Store your clothes and shoes in closed cabinets and cabinets.
• After contact with a cat, especially children, they need to wash their hands thoroughly with soap.

Carry out deworming regularly.

If white worms appear in a cat's feces, this indicates the appearance of tapeworms in the animal's body. It's pretty common occurrence, especially if a pet can walk freely fresh air. The danger of tapeworms is that they cause mechanical damage organ tissues, as a result of which the vessels are destroyed and the tissues begin to die. Cats that do not go outside can also become infected with worms by eating raw fish or meat, drinking dirty water. Often, owners accidentally bring helminth larvae from the street.

Types of worms

All types of helminths are large and small white worms (they can often be seen in feces). Their length can vary from a few millimeters to two meters. If white worms are moving in the cat's feces, this means that the infection is quite strong.

Each type of worm poses a danger not only to animals, but also to humans.

Symptoms of helminthiasis

On initial stage the disease does not reveal itself in any way, but progresses very quickly, as a result of which the cat becomes weaker day by day.

The main signs of worm infection:

• The animal becomes lethargic and gets tired quickly.
• Small white worms appear in the cat's stool.
• The pet's belly becomes dense and severe bloating can be observed.
• The cat loses its appetite and may refuse food.
• The fur loses its shine and begins to fall out.
• Vomit.
• Problems with passing stool. Constipation alternates with intestinal upset.
• A cat can “ride” on its butt.
• The pet becomes nervous and restless.

Before giving an anthelmintic drug, it is worth confirming the diagnosis by taking a stool test. Laboratory research allows you to make the diagnosis as accurately as possible, while excluding the presence of other pathologies and begin the most effective treatment.

Treatment of helminthic infestation

If your cat often walks outdoors, then worm prevention should become a regular event. Preventing the appearance of white worms in a cat’s feces involves taking anthelmintic drugs to the animal twice a year. If the risk of infection is very high, then deworming is done once every 3 months. 2 weeks before vaccination it is necessary to give the cat an anti-worm medication.

Worms in a kitten's stool indicate a white worm infection and should be treated immediately.