Digestive Tract Worms in Cats

Types &Origins

• The many types of gastrointestinal worms found in both adult cats and kittens include roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and whipworms.

  Hook, whip and roundworms originate from another host animal that carries the adult worm in its intestinal tract and then deposits the worm eggs in the host animal's feces. The next cat ingests the worm eggs, which hatch into larvae in the circulatory system and move through the cat's body to the lungs. Once in the lungs, the larvae are coughed up, swallowed and end up in the small intestines, where they mature into adult worms. A mother cat will pass hookworms and roundworms to her kittens through the placenta and in her milk, says Dr. William J. Foreyt in "Veterinary Parasitology."

  If you find fleas on your cat, it is likely your pet is infected with tapeworms. Tapeworm larvae reside in the stomach of the flea and pass into your cat when he ingests the flea. These are the only worms you may see with the naked eye---small, "rice-like" segments can be found in your pet's stool and around the anus.

Significance

• Once the larvae mature to the adult stage, the worms attach themselves to the walls of the intestines and begin stealing nutrients from your cat. This leads to weight loss and sometimes bloody diarrhea in young and malnourished cats. In young cats and kittens, hookworms can cause a severe, and potentially fatal, anemia, while roundworms give that classic, pot-bellied appearance and, sometimes, bacterial pneumonia. According to Claw &Paws Veterinary Hospital, while tapeworm infestation is relatively benign, some cats show clinical signs of a shaggy coat, diarrhea and general ill health. Whipworm eggs show in the stool of cats at about three months of age and the adult worms cause severe, bloody diarrhea.

Diagnosis &Treatment

• Veterinarians typically obtain a stool sample from your infected animal, dilute the sample in a sugar solution, and spin it down in a centrifuge to force any worm eggs to float to the top of the mix. They examine this drop of fecal solution microscopically to determine what types of worms are infecting your cat.

  Treatment for worms typically involves administering a liquid dewormer every three to four weeks over the course of several months. The intitial treatment kills only the adult worms, and subsequent dewormings guarantee that any hatching eggs or larvae remaining in your cat's intestines are destroyed. VetInfo.com recommends a yearly fecal examination and deworming treatment for adult cats, particularly if they go outside where they can be reinfested.

Considerations

• After treatment, you might see dead roundworms or hookworms in your cat's feces or vomit. You will need to thoroughly wash your hands after cleanup because hookworm and roundworm eggs can live up to several months in the environment. Keeping your cat indoors prevents reinfestation from worm eggs that live in the soil of your yard and/or garden.

Warning

• Parisitologists consider roundworms and hookworms zoontic---they can be transferred to humans through accidentally ingesting the eggs of the roundworms, or, in the case of hookworms, through the skin of the feet. Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine says that hookworm larvae cause cutaneous larva migrans, a pruritic (itchy) skin disorder in humans. Roundworm larvae travel through various human organs until they reach the eyes, causing visceral larva migrans, a disease that can lead to eventual blindness. Cornell states that children are at particular risk for both disorders because of their tendency to play outside shoeless and put their hands in their mouths without first washing.