Parasitic worms in a cat can make him feel miserable. Diagnosing the type of worm a cat has is the first step to treating the infection.
Types of Parasitic Worms in Cats
There are a variety of parasitic worms that commonly invade a cat: roundworms, tapeworms and hookworms.
Roundworms
are one of the most common parasitic worms to infect cats and are most
often found in kittens. Roundworms can be contracted via contaminated
dirt, cat feces, and when a mother passes the parasite to her unborn
kitten.
Tapeworms can be passed on to a cat when he accidentally eats a flea
that’s infected with the parasite or the cat hunts and eats and animal
that’s infected. To help prevent a tapeworm infection, measures should
be taken to prevent flea infestations and mice in the home.
Hookworms
live in a cat's intestine and like to suck blood. A kitten can become
infected with hookworms via his mother's milk or larva can crawl into a
cat's skin and travel to the intestine.
Diagnosing Parasitic Worms Using Symptoms as Clues
One of the first clues a cat has a parasitic worm is that he'll
begin to feel sick. The type of symptoms he displays can give pet
owners or veterinarians a clue as to which worm has made a home in a
cat.
A cat that has contracted a roundworm may have shorter fur
than normal; this is especially true for kittens. This parasite will
also cause a cat to have an upset stomach, a loss of appetite,
diarrhea, and a lack of energy. Kittens infected with roundworms will
feel more hungry than usual. If a cat passes a roundworm in his vomit
or stool, it will look like spaghetti that’s 2 to 4-inches-long.
When a cat is infected with a tapeworm segments of it, which
resemble sesame seeds or rice, can be seen on a cat’s rear end or in
his stool. A cat with a tapeworm infection will lose weight, but will
have an increase in appetite.
A cat that has a hookworm
infestation can become anemic and can develop diarrhea or bloody stool,
dehydration, skin irritations, and have a loss of appetite.
Veterinary Diagnosis of Parasitic Worms
Parasitic worms are most often diagnosed in a veterinarian’s office with a fecal exam or fecal floatation test. The clinic will ask a pet owner to bring a sample of her cat’s stool. A fecal exam is when a sample of a cat’s stool is looked at under a microscope so a vet can see microscopic parasites or signs of them.
The fecal flotation test uses a small container in which a cat’s stool is placed and has a filtration basket that resembles a strainer. A special solution is placed with the sample and any worms or parasite eggs present will float into the filtration basket so they can be easily collected and examined.
Diagnosing parasitic worms in cats is a simple matter that can begin at home. If one suspects their cat has a parasitic infection, he should be seen by a veterinarian before the infection gets worse.