The Effects of Worms on a Cat

Cats are susceptible to several kinds of parasites, several of which are worms that are contracted through the environment. Although cats are not as likely to become infected as easily as dogs with certain parasitic worms, the possibility does exist, and failure to recognize the effects of worms on your cat could prove fatal to your pet. It is important for any cat owner to learn to recognize the symptoms and effects that worms have on their cats.

  1. Roundworms

    • Roundworms are the most common parasitic intestinal worm to infect cats. These worms can be passed from an infected mother cat to her kittens before they are born, and may also be transmitted in the milk during nursing. Roundworms are also acquired when a cat eats infected animal tissue, or stool from an infected animal. Roundworms may vary in length from less than 1 inch to almost 3 feet. Common symptoms of roundworms are bloated stomach, diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss.

    Tapeworms

    • Tapeworms are another very common parasite that infect cats. Cats normally become infected with tapeworms by ingesting infected fleas, as well as infected small animals, such as mice or rats. Tapeworms are often noticeable as small, white, ricelike segments that cling around the cat's anus, or they may fall from the cat and remain visible inside the house. Often tapeworm segments are visible in the stool or vomit. Tapeworms can grow in length inside the cat from just a couple of inches up to over 2 feet, but break off into smaller segments as they leave the cat's body. The most common side-effects of tapeworms are diarrhea and vomiting. Weight loss is another effect of tapeworms on cats.

    Heartworms

    • Heartworms are the most serious threat to cats of all the parasitic worms. Heartworms are lethal, and unlike dogs, cats are unable to be treated for heartworms once infected. Heartworms are contracted when a cat is bitten by an infected mosquito, which transmits the heartworm larvae into the cat's bloodstream. As the worms mature, they will move into the cat's heart and arteries near the lungs. Symptoms of heartworm infection include heart and respiratory failure, seizures, vomiting, coughing blood, blindness, neurological paralysis (such as head tilt) and heavy or labored breathing.