Kittens and Fleas and Worms

Hi,

New to the site! Have browsed for information and everyone is very helpful. I have 2 kittens that I got from a family members who's girl had babies. Their cat is indoor/outdoor. Kittens came to me at 4 weeks! Family member was overwhelmed with 5 cats but probably best I got them at that age.

Kittens were infested with fleas. My Aunt bathed them for me with Dawn and a kitten shampoo to suffocate the fleas. They seemed pretty well cleaned up and have not seen a flea since.

Now 4 weeks later I found what I'm sure is a worm (based on descriptions given here and on other sites) most likely a tapeworm. Small grain of rice, stringy looking coming from the bum and curled up when wiped with a tissue. Aside from this it always appeared that my kittens had puffed bottoms. The rectum just appeared a little puffier and in some cases almost "raw".

My kittens are just now due for their kitten initial checkup and vaccinations. I wanted to reach out to ensure we get everything in one shot. What will their vaccinations consist of? I believe I've seen Profender, Drontal and Droncit recommended for flea and/or worm treatment. Could that little worm have been another type and am I able to distinguish between the 2-3 types?

Also my girl is who the worm was found on, have yet to see it in my little boy (he does have the puffy bum too though) but should I treat him to be on the safe side? They share the same box and sometimes clean each other (I've even seen him cleaning her bum before). Could this have been something that passed through the milk? Mom, was indoor/outdoor and who knows what she ate out their! Clearly she brought in fleas!

Also to boot, I'm sure is related, they eat like they've never had food before! I rotate Nutro, Nutro Max and occasionaly Blue Buffalo Wilderness for kittens all wet and Purina kitten dry kibble <-- will cut that out when they run low. Thanks for your help everyone!

Oh another question I might add.. Would it be best to bring in stool samples, and how fresh must they be to be useful? Will I need one from each if we treat both just to be safe?

Sounds like a tape worm.  What country are you in?  In the UK we would simply give Milbemax which deals with tapeworms and roundworms, and probably again in 3 weeks.  Stool samples are rarely used in the UK.

Ring your vet and ask them if they want a sample.

I am in the US. I imagine the vet will prescribe the best option for them since they'll need to go regardless for vaccinations. Just curious if they'll want to test for the other types of worms and what might make that process easier.  And if treating both is recommended. Also what vaccincations will they be needing.

I just took my cat's to the vet today for tapeworms. My 3 year old girl has been vomiting a lot lately, and this morning I found those little rice-like things on my bed. The vet confirmed that she had a tapeworm, and prescribed ProFender (which I had never heard of before then) to both her, and my 11 week old girl. The vet said if one has it, they probably both have it.

I would recommend treating both kittens, especially if they have/had fleas and like to groom each other. Cats get tapeworms by ingesting the fleas (usually during grooming) who have fed on the tapeworm eggs (which are in the little rice-like segments.)

Most vet offices have kitten packages which include all the vaccines they need in sequence. You'll have to make more than one trip there. They usually need the distemper vaccine x2, dewormer (which does not kill tapeworms), and they will need to be tested for FIV and feline leukemia. Then you should be good for a couple months until its time to spay/neuter. 


Hope this helps! Also I just noticed that this thread is a few weeks old. If they've already gone, how are they doing?