Worried about my kittens health!!!!!

[honeys mama]

HI. i recently got a kitten. i was told she was 6months old with no shots. I am definetly taken her to get an exam on Monday and her caught up. So my concern is. I seen something white poking out of her butt around noon my husband looked and said he thought it might have been a string because he's seen worms in kittens and know what they look like since it wasnt moving. I just looked and it is Gone! he looked in her litter box and said there wasnt a visible string or a worm. I cleaned out her litter before and didnt see any worms. If it was a worm could it have gone back inside???? or a string??? wouldnt she have pooped either out???? theres nothing there anymore! I dont know what to do. We dont have any money at all right now to take her to get seen until Monday if it can wait but if its an emergency we will take her tomorrow. Please if anyone has dealt with this any advice to whatever will be extremely helpful to calm my nerves

 

[Tigger's Mum]

Sounds like she's got worms and they are easily dealt with so don't panic.

Roundworms are usually between 3 and 4 inches long. Tapeworms show as little segments, a little larger than a grain of rice and wriggle. They are also sticky and stick to your cat's fur on her rear end or back legs. Your vet will give her the proper medication when you go on Monday. Roundworms (not so sure about Tapeworms) die on contact with air. Most kittens have them. Fleas carry Tapeworms so your vet will probably treat your kitten for fleas too.

Your kitten is absolutely gorgeous

Let us know how you get on at the appointment on Monday.

 

[Caspers Human]

It might be worms but it's hard to tell. It depends on what kind of worms it could be.

Any kind of worm can "come out," so to speak, but some are more prominent than others.
Tapeworms can come out then break off in segments. They might look like grains of rice when they do.
I've never seen roundworms come out but I suppose they can. Whether they would "go back in," I can't say.

You might see worms in the litter box but not always. A cat might have worms for a long time without showing signs.

How are your cat's eating and litter box habits? Is she gaining or losing weight?
Aside from other things, worms "steal" nutrition from the host. If a cat has worms, they can steal so much nutrition that, no matter how much the cat eats, it can't gain weight.

If your cat eats a lot or if its "output" in the litter box doesn't seem to match its "input" from eating, that's a good sign of worms.

Sometimes, if the infestation is severe, a cat can get a "fat belly" but, if it gets that bad, you'll almost surely see signs.
There will usually be signs in the litter box and you might even see the cat barf up worms. (They often look like tiny bits of spaghetti.)

If you see something "coming out" of your cat's behind then disappear, it's most likely that you'll find signs in the litter box.
She might have eaten a piece of string or something. In that case, it's likely to end up in the box.

It's good that you are taking your cat to the vet for a checkup. Do mention this to the vet. They'll probably want to do a test for worms and de-worm, just as a matter of precaution. There is an old legend that says, "Kittens just come with worms." While that's not 100% true, there is a grain of truth to it. That's why vets often de-worm, just on principle.

In the mean time, as long as your cat is eating, drinking, acting normally and using the litter box on a regular basis, all you need to do is just keep an eye out for problems until it's time to go to the vet.

Take notes. Make a list of questions then take them to the vet with you so that you have something to refer to.

I don't know how many times I've had questions about Casper or just wanted to know something about cats, in general, but, by the time I get there, I have forgotten.

In my opinion, unless there are other problems, I think whatever you saw will "keep" until you get to the vet on Monday.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

There will usually be signs in the litter box and you might even see the cat barf up worms. (They often look like tiny bits of spaghetti.)

I've had that happen. Got two farm kittens some years ago and one of them puked up 3 roundworms. I'd never seen roundworms before so put on the rubber gloves, got an empty jar and popped the worms in. Took it to my vet, a typical Scottish country vet. He said "Noo, lass, that's a fine example of roundworms". He popped a worm pill down each of the kittens and gave me two more tablets to be given a month later. He said most people wouldn't think to bring the worms as well as most shudder at the thought of them. Made his diagnosis very quick and easy. I just think it's part and parcel of owning pets (and I'm not squeamish).

 

[Caspers Human]

Yeah! Worms are really GROSS!
I don't know how many times I've seen them in both cats and dogs but, still, I get the shivers every time!

It's really smart to take a sample to the vet if you can. When Casper had worms and barfed them up, we took a picture with a cell phone and showed it to the vet. Like your vet, she said, "Yup!"

Most of the time, de-worming is done just with pills or, sometimes, liquid that you squirt in your cat's mouth.

Either way, it's fairly academic.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

Most of the time, de-worming is done just with pills or, sometimes, liquid that you squirt in your cat's mouth.

Either way, it's fairly academic.

There's also a spot on treatment now similar to the spot on flea treatment. It's called Dronspot here in the UK. Kills both round and tapeworms. I would think there would be something similar in America but probably have a different name. Makes dealing with the horrible little wrigglers easier.

 

[honeys mama]

Oh my gosh thank u all sooo much. It friggn sucks that animals have to deal with these kind of things along with diseases of all sorts makes my heart hurt theyre inoccent creatures that cant take care of themselves. Well they can but they shouldn't have to thats why they have us to love on them and spoil them and protect them from predators i wish they came with training manuals or that we can speak their language so we would get along better and not get so frustrated when they seem to upset us on purpose. Dont know why i said all that i just love cats and animals and im so happy theres a site dedicated to cat parents so we can help each other out for our sanity and to help our fur kids

 

[Tigger's Mum]

Oh my gosh thank u all sooo much. It friggn sucks that animals have to deal with these kind of things along with diseases of all sorts makes my heart hurt theyre inoccent creatures that cant take care of themselves. Well they can but they shouldn't have to thats why they have us to love on them and spoil them and protect them from predators i wish they came with training manuals or that we can speak their language so we would get along better and not get so frustrated when they seem to upset us on purpose. Dont know why i said all that i just love cats and animals and im so happy theres a site dedicated to cat parents so we can help each other out for our sanity and to help our fur kids

Here's a funny story about parasites that will make you laugh. 30 years ago my son had only been at school for about 6 months (he was 5). One day he comes charging through shouting happily "Guess what Mum! I've got worms in my bum!!!" Not the kind of "pets" we want (they were threadworms, I think Americans call them pinworms?) so a quick trip to the pharmacy to get worm medication. The medication was given (we did the whole family) and I swear the cats were sitting grinning at us. Revenge is sweet so they say.

A few days later, son comes crying. When I asked what was wrong he said "The worms are gone". I thought "Good". He soon got over the loss of his "pets".

Just don't tell my son I told you this

 

[honeys mama]

ohmygosh that sucks! poor baby