AAAAAGGGGGHHHH! my cat has worms!

jugen

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Go ahead and tell me. I am a horrible mother!

My poor Luna got sick tonight and when I went to clean it up I found worms in it. Can anyone tell me what kind they are? They are small, white and curl up like springs. Poor thing! I am calling the vet asap int he am and am going to try and get her in before I go to work otherwise she'll have to wait until Monday and I am NOT going to do that unless there is NO other alternative!
I am so worried about her! I don't know how she got worms! She is strictly an indoor cat ONLY and none of my cats have fleas. Could it be from the snakes she finds in the basement? Help I need answers!
I cannot believe I didn't notice it before now! I am so horrible!

Oh I wanted to mention that I have been changing their food recently. I went from pro plan wet food to Friskies. they still eat Pro plan dry food but I was worried about only feeding them fish wet food because i had heard about Mercury problems. Could I have caused it be changing their foods to a cheaper brand? Should I go back to Pro Plan?
 

frannie

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Poor both of you but calm down because they are hook worms and can be treated easily. You do need to go to the vet and get her some meds. I use Strongint T once a year and my cats do not go outside. You can get it from dry food as some of the foods are stored too long in wearhouses. You will need to treat all the critters in the house as it goes from one to the other. Don't worry, you are not a horrible mom. When I was a first time mom, I had the same problem and thought I was horrible. I've now learned and treat once a year. I do give 2 doses -- the first one and then the second one 2 weeks later. Good luck and don't worry, you'll both be fine.

Frannie
 

sandie

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If she is indoor only, my guess is that she has had them for ahwile. I forget how old Luna is. She probably had them passed to her through her mother. Kittens are usually dewormed twice when they are still babies even if there are no signs. It sounds to me like she has the most common worm, roundworms. Roundworms look like spaghetti when seen in thier feces. Tapeworms are the ones they can get from ingesting a flea and they are usually seen as little grains of rice near the tail area. Hookworms and whipworms are much smaller and need to be identified under a microscope. All she should need is 2 dewormers and she will be good as new.
 

billchamb

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Sorry to hear your baby is not well. Our little Sassy seems to have finally recovered from the very same, roundworms. The vet said she probably had them when we got her from the Humane Society. We, of course, felt like horrible kitty parents, too. The important thing is you're awareness and quick response. The Strongid T was a good remedy. The only problem we had was eliminating in an inappropriate place. We believe this had more to do with how far along her case of worms were than the medication. It lasted about five days, then her stools got more consistent and she returned to using the litterbox.

Good luck! It will get better.

Bill
 

elle & tux

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No, you're not a bad kittymommy! It happens to the best of us.


I give Drontal to my cat and it worked beautifully for him. I purchased most of my medicines from Pets MegaStore and always ask my vet's advice on what Tux gets dosed with.

Good luck!
 
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jugen

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Thanks everyone! I'm sorry I over reacted, but I get so stressed when something is wrong with my cats.
It was round worms. I had to treat all the cats so everyone got a pill Fri am. They weren't to happy for it but I am just glad i caught it in time and nothing worse happened.
Sandie, luna is around 11 mos. She was a feral I took in around Dec of last year and I guess I have never thought to check her for worms cause I thought that they did all that when you first bring them in for their shots. Isis another feral from Lunas clan never had worms so when Luna threw up worms I freaked out!
Yes all of my cats are indoors only. I hate to see cats outside especially since I live on a road that isn't too busy but cars fly by here and I worry about them being so close to the street.
I am jsut wondering how she got them and none of the others did?
They all eat the same food,( sorry if my spellign is horrible, I am sick and have to much medicine in me for my own good) They all go potty in the same four boxes, they play in the same places.. So how did she get them? Poor thing. I gave her the meds from the vets and she is eating like a little porker, and (thankfully) not throwing up. I'm glad to see she is feeling better since she is one of my four little

Well, Like I said before, I am greatful that you were all here for me! I hope someday I can re-pay the favor and be there for you.
 

tigger

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See, now you are not a horrible mom!
You are a very good cat mom
Glad to hear they are doing good!
 

sandie

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Jugen, round worms are a normal thing especially for outdoor cats. There is no reason for you to feel bad at all. There really are no signs until they get so infested, that they come out both ends. If anything, the vet should have mentioned it to you when you brought her in. Honestly, my guess is that she had had them since she was a baby. They were probably passed on to her through her mother. They want you to deworm all of them because they can pass them through the litter box. If one of the other cats step in her poop and then clean themselves, they could pick up an egg. It is also possible that her other litter mate may have them since there are no signs until it gets fairly bad. You should be all set once they had had thier treatment since they aren't going to have any exposure.
 
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jugen

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But Sandie, why would it take this long for the infestation to show?
I took her inside just about a year ago now and she hasn't had any signs of worms. Does it take that long for any signs of worms to show up? She is strictly an indoor cat along with my three others. her being around 2 years old now makes me wonder how long it could have been her mother that gave them to her. She was the last outdoor kitty rescue I took inside so it wasn't like there was a chance of her catching something from the others. I had her tested for fip, leuk, all those cat diseases and she was given a once over for ear mites and other little ickys that might have tried to sneak inside with her. But she was clean of all except ear mites. So here I still sit, wondering how she got them in the first place...

Like I said before, none of the other cats have had worms just her and they have all been inside cats since I got them. Isis is my other feral rescue and she didn't have worms.(I don't think) at least not that she has shown and it'll be a year and 4 months she has been inside. Twig has been an indoor cat since he was 5 weeks of age. We got him from a farm of a friend we knew and we didn't know better then to take them at that young of an age, but he turned out wonderfully so I think we did well.
Rocket we got from a cat show and he has always been an indoor cat. he was 5 months old when we got him.
And finally like I said, Isis and Luna were feral rescues that we took inside in Aug and Dec of last year.
Now we have a happy and very full household! I am just glad that everything is ok and that they are getting back to normal. one more pill in 11 more days and then a stool sample to the vet and it'll all be over!
 

sandie

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LOL, I keep saying one more trip!!! Well, to answer the first question, with the roundworms, they really don't come out in the stool or vomit until there is a really bad infestation. Sometimes it can take up to a year for them to hatch and produce enough adults. Besides thier moms, they can get them from rodents,birds and raw meat. The eggs can also be passed from one cat to another through the feces. So somewhere down the road, someone got into contact with one of the eggs. If all were treated, I don't see you ever having to worry about it again
 
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jugen

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OH! Now I understand. So I guess I should've had both the outdoor cats tested for worms. I never even thought about it. Geez, and I thought I was an "experienced" cat mom. Well, I guess no matter how much experience you have, there's always something that'll pop up that will stump you somehow.
Thanks for all your patience and for explaining to me just why this happened. I feel lots better now.
 

alexnell

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Nell had the same problem a few months ago. It is soooo gross. I blame it on her hunting mice in the basement. We don't get many, but she finds every one that comes in. My other cats weren't infested, probably because they never have a chance to eat any mice--Nell beats them to it. I wish I could figure out how they get in. I feel bad for the poor mice. And I really don't want to clean up any more barf that moves. Yuck.
 
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jugen

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I think it was one snake that kept coming inside after I put him outside. I relocated him to a friends house were she has a small forest like place in her back yard. So there he resides and I haven't had a snake in the basement since.(that I know of)
 
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