Worms?!

My roomate was given a kitten from a friend of his who couldn't take care of it and brought it home about 3 weeks ago. Last week i thought i noticed something white around his bum, but i didn't pay any attention to it. He took very sick this weekend with diahrea and a swollen abdominal. I was just playing with him and noticed worms crawling in and out of his bum! (sorry for being gross) I am totally grossed out.. i've raised two cats and i've never ran into this before. What is it?! What causes it, how will it go away, and most of all.. can i get it?! I play with him every day, all day.. he sleeps on my bed at night and I'm so worried that i have contracted it from him! Please help!

Most kittens have worms, and the chances of you contracting them are very small. Take him to the vet and get a worming tablet, don't buy anything from the supermarket/pet shop as over the counter meds can kill your kitten. Has he been for his vaccinations yet? If not you could book them at the same time.

What's your boys name by the way?

Phew, i was really scared because the worms are actually noticable from his bum.. which means i could have easily touched them when picking him up and when cleaning his litterbox. It's 430am here so i can't really take him to the vet right now.. =/ But reading some of the older threads everything makes so much sense.. he eats alot but is very small, he has been passing gas ALOT lately, and yesterday and a swollen stomach and has had diarrhea since we got him (i thought it was from what he was eating)
His name is Homer. =)

If the worms look like kernels of rice, you kitty has tapeworms. This means he also has fleas, so while at the vet, get him flea- treated safely. Ask the vet if the kitten is anemic-

If the worms look like spaghetti noodles, they are roundworms and will need several treatments to get rid of - again a vet is the best and safest course of action-

You describe all classical signs of a rather heavy worm infection. He must have help ASAP, as it is dangerous if untreated - and takes force from the kitten.
Nothing unusual and with proper medication easy to get rid. Do both things at the same time, take him to vet for proper anti-worm (+ fleas?) medication AND a check up and vaccinations - he probably not vaccinated either.

Ok so i just notified my roomates that the cat has worms, and apparently one of them has been cleaning up puked up worms in their bathroom since last week but never told anyone! I can't believe he wouldn't say anything.. the poor thing must be so sick.
And, the roomate that actually owns the cat doesn't seem to want to take it to the vet or get it any help.. i feel so frustrated and bad for the poor thing!! Especially now that our whole house is probably worm infested.

Vet is what doctor prescribes here. Best, as the cat was severyly neglected..
But if not - what to do.
I suspect it is roundworms - as you plainly see and describe them as worms. Do you have Banminth in the US? sold probably in pharmacy as it is in Sweden. If not, a pharmacist knows probably what the US-name of Banminth is.
This preparate may be used on your own. Besides, it is fairly easy adminstered, especielly good at roundworms, and milder to cats then some other anti-worm drugs. Try it then.
Althought it is a shame not to get a vet look at the little one.

Cat-worm usually dont go on people, so although disgusting - dont panick and dont die of sheer afraidness.

Good luck.

Katt, you NEED to get this kitten to the vet, ASAP, no matter what your dumbass roommate says. Part of owning an animal is caring for its medical needs, and severe enough worms can KILL a kitten. Please, please PLEASE take this kitten to the vet!

I heartily agree. Unless you are a trained professional and know exactly what type of worms your kitty has and what dosage to give them, play it safe and take them to the vet for PROFESSIONAL treatment.

OTC remedies are risky IMO and you could do more harm than good. None of us are able to examine the cat and probably most of us are not qualified to diagnose this cat over the internet. (Although I think we would ALL agree he has a severe case of some kind of worms.)

If you want to help this dear kitty, either talk your roommate into taking it to the vet or do it yourself.

Ok. I just spent the whole day crying about this situation because I'm a huge worrier and a cat lover, and it really seemed like no one else in this house cared about the kitten and how sick it is. So finally after enough crying and talking to my roomate i convinced him to do something about it. He called the vets and described what was happening. They told him to go to the Pet Store and get a certain medication. So, he did. I'm not sure what it's called.. it was only 7 or 8 dollars, but you put two pills in with the cat food every 10 days until the pills are gone. Does anyone know what i'm talking about or if it works?
I'm so thankful for all of these replies because this situation really kept me up all night and has upset me so much! But i am thankful that something has finally been done about it. Now i just pray that the medication works and this little guy will start getting better because i hate seeing him so sick.

Thank you for caring about this kitty. Please keep us informed on his situation. We'd love to see a picture of him if you can post one.

Homer took his first dose of the medication yesterday, and today we have noticed that some of the worms seem to be falling out from his behind. Except they resemble the shape of a grain of rice. It's to my understanding that worms that are shaped like that are not roundworms, but tapeworms. We are treating him for roundworms, because initially that's what we thought he had. Will "worm-away" medication still treat tapeworms? And aren't tapeworms highly contagious to humans? Are they dead when they come out of his bum, or are they still alive and able to lay eggs around the house?

Originally Posted by katt

Homer took his first dose of the medication yesterday, and today we have noticed that some of the worms seem to be falling out from his behind. Except they resemble the shape of a grain of rice. It's to my understanding that worms that are shaped like that are not roundworms, but tapeworms. We are treating him for roundworms, because initially that's what we thought he had. Will "worm-away" medication still treat tapeworms? And aren't tapeworms highly contagious to humans? Are they dead when they come out of his bum, or are they still alive and able to lay eggs around the house?

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This is one reason it is important for the vet to SEE the cat. I don't think it is possible or even safe to treat something that we describe over the phone or internet.

This is my opinion anyway.

My doctor will not prescribe any medication (except for refills) without seeing and examining me and I would think vets should do the same.

Perhaps you could again talk to the vet and try to be as explicit as possible when describing the worms. Hopefully he'll be able to see the kitty and give you a prescription to fix the problem.

Katt...is there any way that you would be willing to bring this sick kitty to the vet.....

I know its not your cat, but if he is a suffering cat, i know you would want to do what you can....

don't let the ownership of this kitty fool you, if you feel he is gettin inadequet care, you can stop it, and possibly get a new fluffy friend for life.....

good luck....
My prayers go out to thats sweet kit

I just got home from class and my roomate informed me that it is not roundworm that the cat has, but tapeworm. He has caught a whole bunch of them today on the furniture and floor, basically whereever the cat has been. So the medication that he is taking won't even work for him, since it's for roundworms. Are tapeworms more dangerous than roundworms, and can humans catch them? The reason he won't take him to the vet is because he can't afford the vet bill, and "doesn't have time". This is something i REALLY wish i didnt have to deal with right now on top of everything else!!!!

Originally Posted by katt

I just got home from class and my roomate informed me that it is not roundworm that the cat has, but tapeworm. He has caught a whole bunch of them today on the furniture and floor, basically whereever the cat has been. So the medication that he is taking won't even work for him, since it's for roundworms. Are tapeworms more dangerous than roundworms, and can humans catch them? The reason he won't take him to the vet is because he can't afford the vet bill, and "doesn't have time". This is something i REALLY wish i didnt have to deal with right now on top of everything else!!!!

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Can you take him to the vet.......

Tapeworm can be transmitted to humans...just like roundworms, they both are real bad for your kitten.....and the amount that you describe is really bad.....

please katt take the cat to the vet yourself...hes suffering....or call animal welfare and have them take the cat away...Please do something for the poor kit....please

Somebody needs to get this poor little cat to the vet. He is very sick and needs to be seen by the vet and treated for the tapeworms. You have a very sick cat on your hands and someone needs to help it.

I wish it was that easy.. but having just moved to this city for school i don't know anything about any of the vet clinics or have a means of transportation. However, the actual owner of the cat does have a car, and said that he called the clinic tonight but they said they can't do anything for him this evening, but to bring him in tomorrow. I have to go home in the morning for an emergency.. and apparently my roomate has class then works. So he won't be able to take him in until Monday.. unless he can find a place that is open on Saturdays. I have been told that tapeworms can only be passed on to humans if a human ingests an infected flea? (as apparently that is how the cat contracts the tapeworms)

The cat may not live till monday....I am not kidding you...or trying to scare you.....flea infested, worm infested kittens are in bad shape......

call animal welfare...the cat isnt going to live much longer without proper care....and there are many vets open on saturday.....open the phone book and call them all.......

Does no one understand the suffering this kit is going through...please someone do something........

I seem to be the only one who realizes the seriousness of this. The most sleep i've got this whole week has been 2 hours a night. I'm trying everything i can here.. i am just going to keep praying that he takes him in on Saturday to the vet, as i won't be here at all over the weekend. Atleast knowing that he has been seen by a professional will somewhat put my mind at ease. I'll give an update when i can.