WORMS! in my cat!

*runs in frantic circles squealing and panicking*

OK, this is the very first time my cat Meatloaf has had worms.

Today she just out of nowhere has had explosive diarrhea, and just now she left me a nice pile underneath my computer chair. I went to clean it up..and..

DOZENS OF WORMS!!!!!!

*SCREAM*

I don't know what kind they are but it's so gross!!

They were half an inch long with flat heads like a hammerhead shark. They were white.

I scooped up some globs of them and put them in a ziplock bag then put them in a plastic bag. I will be taking her and the specimens to the vet at 8 am sharp.

Any idea what kind of worms these are?? I'm thinking tapeworms.

How did she get them!? My poor baby has nasty little creatures in her belly!!

Tapeworm segments are more like rice grains. Don't panic - every cat gets worms, though you don't always see them in such quantities. They are easily treatable. But you do need to keep your cat wormed regularly, even if it is indoors. Take your vet's advice on how often and don't use OTC products - they are ineffective and can be harmful.

Haha that is so gross! My cat Charlie had worms, I think it's round worm, only one came out of his mouth...I dewormed him, and now I haven't seen any kind of worms.

Originally Posted by jennyranson

Tapeworm segments are more like rice grains.

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Not when the whole worm is passed. Though tapeworms are typically much longer than half an inch..


It's not really normal for them to be passed like that, though. Usually the worms stay attached to the intestinal wall and stay there for quite a while. OTC home remedy type dewormer will cause them to be expelled like that - you haven't been trying out any home remedies? Or have been giving her high fiber meals?
Vet prescribed dewormers don't usually cause them to be passed in mass. If you think your cat still has a lot inside her, tell your vet this concern as you don't want any complication from the deworming.

Oh gag! That's disgusting!

Sounds like hookworms or roundworms. Definitely need to get Meatloaf to the vet for a dewormer. Revolution will take care of the round and hookworms, as well as fleas. (Revolution is a topical flea treatment, but also works for worms and ear mites.)

Back from the vet. Yea it was gross, the vet told me "What a nice sample, couldn't have done it better myself!"

Haha.

He says they are tapeworms. He gave me some medicine (which I've been trying to get her to eat for 30 minutes) and said she should feel better soon!

Just a heads up you may want to repeat treatment after the prescribed interval to make sure you got the infestation. If you cat is in/out you may need to de-worm regularly. Even if you kitty is indoor only, I would repeat the treatment in 2-3 months of how ever long is a safe interval (ask your Vet)as the tapeworms expel their segments with eggs in your cat's poo and they 'crawl out' of there on their own sometimes too so your kitty could lick them up while grooming and re-infest herself that way.

Originally Posted by Lyrajean

as the tapeworms expel their segments with eggs in your cat's poo and they 'crawl out' of there on their own sometimes too so your kitty could lick them up while grooming and re-infest herself that way.

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Look up the tapeworm life cycle. The common tapeworm that most cats get doesn't work that way. The proglottids are shed, they are left in the environment where they eventually dry out then break open. For the next stage the eggs need to be eaten by flea larvae, which later grow into mature fleas that jump onto the cat and are eaten repeating the cycle.

This is why if a cat has fleas it has tapeworms.

I didn't know that!

Yep I just cleared up a flea infestation on Meatloaf so it makes sense if she got tapeworms that way.

^I bet you were thinking " now what?" the other day. Sometimes it seems like if it's not one thing it something else.

Did you get Meatloaf to take it? Was it pill or liquid? If you were unsuccessful, just wrap Meatloaf in a towel and quickly force her to take it. For a pill you open her mouth and toss it as far back onto her tongue as possible - if you miss, use your finger to quickly (and gently) push it further back.
If it's a liquid you use much the same method - get the dropper as far back on the tongue as possible (so a cat doesn't taste it) and quickly squirt it. However you can only do a small amount at a time of a liquid like this because you do not want to choke a cat.

And if you tried to sneak it into food... that very rarely works. Cats have amazing noses and most can tell we've tampered with their food. That and ensuring the full dose is taken is difficult. The simplest alternative is pill pockets for pills, if your cat will eat them.

Yep, it took a long time to get her to eat the food I put the medicine in, but she did eventually!!

The other medicine the vet gave me is liquid, so I wrap her in a towel and quickly put the med in with the eye dropper.

She takes the medicine very well, probably because it tastes pretty good. She doesn't foam at all, no spitting, no vomiting. (I won't lie, I got some on my hand and had to taste it because I'm weird like that. It tastes like oranges)

^Consider yourself lucky. I have cats that take medicines to varying degrees of cooperation around here. From begrudgingly accepting it because he wants treats to one who thinks she's fighting for her life.

Good luck with the deworming. Keep an eye on her butt, stools, and sleeping spots in the future to look out for possible passed segments. The proglottids are the first and easiest sign of telling that a cat has tapeworms.