Duration to cure worms in new Kitten?

I just adopted a 2 month old kitten yesterday night. She has a little bit of a tight pot-belly, but nothing enormous. I suspect that she might have worms (as did the counselor at the shelter where I adopted her). She received deworming medication yesterday, as do all kittens and cats who are adopted before they go to their new home.

I have not seen any worms yet. My kitten has not yet eaten in about 12 hours since I got her - this could be because of stress, or worms, or the medication (???). She has also not yet taken a poop yet. She is quite frisky and curious as well, but likes to hide under the bed sometimes.

My questions are:

1) If she did have worms, how long will it take for them to go away?

2) Will her little tight pot-belly go away, and if so how long will this take to go away?

3) Is any of the above descriptions symptoms of worms?

I am a little concerned, but not overly stressed since I know that worms are treatable, after doing considerable research

Usually kittens get a second treatment 2 weeks after the first and usually that takes care of it. But the "not eating" is a separate issue. I would try cracking various different wet foods, including what she was getting at the shelter, and trying different flavors as well, plus some dry food. And if she isn't eating by day 2, contact the shelter for immediate direct support. She won't poop until she eats. If her energy declines its because of lack of nutrients or hydration and you should contact your shelter without further delay.

Sometimes kittens are so excited about their new home that they "forget" about eating. I would also suggest you put some food on your finger, hold it up to her, and if she doesn't lick it off gently put some in her mouth. Sometimes the act of actually swallowing tasty food will snap them out of it.

Thank you for your quick reply.

Once the worms have been cured, will the belly shrink back to normal size?

How long does it usually take to fully cure the worms, and for the belly to go back to normal size?

Overall, my question is what is the process to cure the kitten of worms (steps and duration), and how do I know she is cured (that the worms are gone)?

All the worms are dead within a couple days. However, there may still be eggs. That's the reason for the recheck and/or second deworming in two weeks...to catch any new worms that hatch. If you're free of worms after the second deworming, you're home free.

Oh, I should say that depends on the type of worms. You didn't say what kind you were treating for. Being kittens, roundworms, I suppose, no?

Actually it depends on the worms. After worming meds for roundworms kittens will vomit and poop up piles of worms that are very much still alive. Has this kitten been to a vet? I would certainly take her to a vet if you haven't already and get her evaluated. That pouchy belly may or may not be worms-

Another reason to go to the vet is because the deworming med used by the shelter probably doesn't kill all types of worms. I know that around here the shelters use a med that doesn't kill tapeworms. Roundworms can infect humans, so I suppose it's most cost effective to just treat all cats and kittens for roundworms and let the adopter treat for other worms if necessary.

Thanks for the advice.

She is now eating fine (thanks to the advice of mixing soft/wet and hard/dry food together).

She took a 'poo' yesterday and I noticed some stringy white things in there. I assume these are the dead worms? Does this mean that the worms are killed and that she will pass them through her 'poo'. If so, how long will it take before all the worms are gone and out of her system?