Stomach Worms in Cats

Feline stomach worms transfer as eggs and larvae from the gastrointestinal tracts of cockroaches and crickets into the stomachs of felines either by direct ingestion, or when the cat eats a smaller animal, such as a bird, which has eaten the worm-infected bug. Once this occurs, the stomach worm larvae take anywhere from 58 to 83 days to become large enough to begin depleting the infected animal's nutrition, says Dr. William J. Foreyt in Veterinary Parasitology.

  1. Types

    • Veterinarians recognize three types of parasitic worms that can reside in the stomachs of cats. Gnathostoma, Ollulanus tricuspis and Physaloptera worms begin as larvae in another animal or insect that is eaten by your pet and travel through the gastrointestinal system to your cat's stomach. There they mature into adults and attach themselves to your animal's stomach lining with their mouths where they ingest the nutrients in your cat's body.

    Symptoms

    • A cat infected by Physaloptera and Ollulanus worms typically shows no symptoms other than occasional bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. Some animals may develop chronic vomiting with a loss of appetite, weight loss and malnutrition. Worms, parts of worms and/or larvae of both species may sometimes be found in the vomit.

      Your cat will indicate the more serious infection of the Gnathostoma worm by developing intestinal peritonitis, a severe inflammation of the abdominal cavity that can be fatal. This occurs when nodules that grow around the adult worm in your cat's stomach become large enough to burst, causing the stomach to rupture and leak its contents into your pet's abdomen. Extremely high fevers, a distended, painful middle and an unwillingness to eat or drink signal peritonitis in an infected cat.

    Diagnosis

    • Veterinarians typically diagnose stomach worms in cats by finding adult worms, larvae and/or worm eggs in your cat's vomit or feces. Some doctors use a newer method of identifying worms through endoscopic gastroscopy, in which they insert a small camera on a long, thin tube into the stomach through the mouth and visually examine the stomach lining, reports PetMD.com.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Veterinary science has no known treatment for Ollanulus or Gnathostoma stomach worms, per the Feline Health Center of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Treatment with an adulticide such as fenbendazole (a medication that kills adult worms) destroys the Physaloptera stomach worm, but they also state "avoiding exposure to another cat's vomitus is the most effective means of controlling infection," and recommend limiting a cat's exposure to other animals that might carry the worms.

    Warning

    • While Ollulanus tricuspis and Physaloptera do not transfer disease to humans, the Gnathostoma worm larvae can migrate under the skin of exposed cat owners, says Dr. Holly Nash of PetEducation.com. As they move through the skin, the larvae form tunnels that turn into pus-filled abscesses. They can also progress through the human eye or brain causing extensive damage.