new kitten with worms and questions and OCD - HELP!

babbit

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I got my kitten about a month ago from some people that have a barn cat and the litter was attacked by a raccoon at night and the mom abandoned the litter. Anyway, the kitten I bought from these people looked a little young to be 8 weeks old at the time I got him..he didn't even weigh a pound and was extremely scrawny and didn't look very healthy.. but he was very very cute!

Well, the people I bought him from told me he had been dewormed twice and had some booster shots, which they gave me a record of. Since it had been 4 weeks I took him into the vet for his next booster shot a couple days ago and they told me he hes roundworms.

They treated him for roundworms and told me that there's no way he more than 10 weeks old even though the people I got him from claim that he's 12 wks old.

I knew he didn't look like other 12 week old kittens that I've seen.. he's kind of runt-ish looking but I just thought that's because his mom abandoned him and they bottle fed him.

So I was told that I would probably start seeing spaghetti type things in the litter box (the worms he's eliminating), but I've only seen one and his belly is still very hard.

They dewormed him on Wednesday and it's Saturday.. how long does it take for his belly to go down?

Also I asked if he could still sleep in bed with me and they said absolutely not because I could get the worms from him!

I am already OCD when it comes to germs/worms/bacteria etc! And the idea of having an animal in my home that has worms inside him completely terrifies me!!

I have been sleeping with my bedroom door closed so he won't come in my room and he cries all night for me. And when I'm in the living room he climbs his way into my lap and I have to put him down on the floor because I was told that he can pass the worm eggs onto me.. I feel so disgusted by this whole thing!

He is still learning to use the litter box and he's doing a really good job but sometimes a couple clumps will make their way out of the box and I'll throw them away.. but now I'm wondering what else he's tracking around.

I've been told by some of my friends that he can still sleep with me but I also read all about these roundworms and read that humans can go blind from them and all kinds of other stuff! I'm not taking any chances!

I hate being so unaffectionate to my new kitty - all he wants to do is sit in my lap and purr but I can't let him!
 

gothicangel69

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There is absolutely no reason that the kitten can't sleep with you at night unless you are immunocomprimised, or there are young children in the household. An adult can injest roundworms, but they will not harm you. They will just pass out of you with your stool. An adults immune system works great against these nasty guys. However, in small children and people with suppressed immune systems, the roundworms are not killed instantly, and can migrate. It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes they can migrate up into the eye, which will make the person blind. When this happens, it is called a visceral larval migration. This is why if you have small children in the household, it is very important that you keep up with regular de-wormings, and make sure that the children know not to play with the litter.
(Raccoons can also make children blind, as well as give them cutaneous larval migrations, which can cause irritated skin)
Also, the eggs do not become active until they have been in the environment for about 2 weeks, so the risk of contracting roundworms from a new kitten is slim.
 

beandip

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The issue with roundworms and a human's eye is not that common, and when it does happen it's typically a small child. It would happen from a child playing right IN the poop (e.g. sandbox, etc) and putting their hands in their mouth...or from eating dirt that has been pooped in.

Most young kittens have roundworms. I have handled and slept with dozens of them and never had a problem.

I would ask the vet about the hard belly. The hard belly could also be from gas, which is common at that age when they've had some changes to their diet.
 
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babbit

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Thanks for replying. I don't have any children, just me and my rabbit (he's like a kid).. but I've kept the kitten the rabbit separated.

I was also informed by the vet that most kittens are born with worms, I just didn't know this as this is my first kitten.

Does anyone know how long it takes for the worms to go away after they have been treated?
 

gothicangel69

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Alot of the time the worms don't actually go away. Most of them are killed, and the ones that are not killed migrate into the muscle tissue and encyst. They stay that way until the cat gets pregnant and starts nursing kittens. When this happens, the larva uncyst, and migrate to the mammary tissue where they pass into the kittens via the milk.
You should start to notice a difference within a few days though. Depending on the type of medication you were given, the kitten may need to be treated a few more times.
 

goldenkitty45

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More then likely they gave the kitten over the counter worm medicine without first checking with a vet. That's not a wise thing. And I don't believe MOST kittens are born with worms. None of my purebred cats had worms and the weird thing is that only some of the barn cats had them. When we took them in for neuter/spayed - only about 1/2 of them actually had to be wormed.

I'd take your kitten you a vet and really get him all checked out.

NEVER use OTC worm medicine - you don't know what kind of worms they may or may not have.
 
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babbit

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

More then likely they gave the kitten over the counter worm medicine without first checking with a vet. That's not a wise thing. And I don't believe MOST kittens are born with worms. None of my purebred cats had worms and the weird thing is that only some of the barn cats had them. When we took them in for neuter/spayed - only about 1/2 of them actually had to be wormed.

I'd take your kitten you a vet and really get him all checked out.

NEVER use OTC worm medicine - you don't know what kind of worms they may or may not have.
yeah, I did take him to the vet (as I said in my first post) and they treated him for the worms. But the people I bought him from have a farm and run stables and they told me he was treated for worms.

Anyway, he seems to be doing better.. he has more energy lately and I didn't know that was possible! He was already bouncing off the walls and now he's flying and flipping all over the place. He cracks me up.

I'm still not letting him sleep with me because I have yet to hear someone tell me that there is no way I can get worms from him. He is a kitten that is still learning about his litter box and I don't want to take a chance that he'd bring something into bed with me. Also, I've heard things like "well the worms are harmless if you get them" but my POINT is that I DO NOT WANT THEM regardless if they are harmless or not. They disgust me and I feel sick at just the thought of worms living inside of my cat IN MY HOME. I find it interesting that most people here are not disgusted by it too. IT'S GROSS.

So I will not let him into my room until his followup at the vet in a few weeks ..till I hear what they have to say about it.
 

gothicangel69

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Almost all puppies are born with worms since roundworm larva in dogs can migrate through the placenta's and into the puppies before they are even born, and then they migrate through the mammary tissue when the puppies are nursing. In cats however, the roundworm larva cannot migrate through the placenta's, and must enter the kittens either through the mothers milk, or through the environment. This means that there are not near as many kittens who have roundworms as there are puppies.

I completely understand why you wouldn't want a kitten with worms sleeping with you. Some people are more bothered about them than others. The only reason they don't bother me in the least bit is because 1) they won't do anything to you. 2)There are other types of worms to worry about which can harm you if you get them. and 3) just like every other living animal, your body is a natural host to many types of organisms, bacteria, and worms which either help your body function, or just don't do anything at all to either benefit or harm you.
Now eating bugs while your sleeping, that creeps me out. I know the majority of people have or will eat some type of bug in their sleep, but the idea still grosses me out whereas the worm issue does not. Funny how every person has different views eh?
 

goldenkitty45

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Actually the only way you would get roundworms from a cat is to not wash your hands after cleaning the litter pan and then putting your fingers in your mouth.

If you scoop the pan daily, the worms don't have a chance to really cause harm - its more of poor sanitary conditions. The kitten can sleep with you - not like you are gonna be licking the kitten or anything
 
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