Cat worm
By: Johan
Most cats are born with some kind of cat worm and will soon need treatment for this. After that it is much more uncommon for a cat to be infested by cat worms, much more uncommon than for example dogs which can get worms a little now and then. There is though still some risk that your feline friend gets infected and it is then important as an owner to keep your cool, no matter how disgusting it might seem like. Luckily most cat worms can be treated with antiparasitic medication and for you to know which one has infested your cat a small list will now follow.
Roundworms
Although this is a very uncommon cat worm among adult dogs, the roundworm is actually the most common infestation when it comes to cats. Grown cats are an easy target and kittens might even be infected through the milk of the mother cat. Giving the mother cat antiparasitic medication will not help, only curing the kittens will. As this cat worm eat whatever you feed your cat, an infested cat will show an increase of appetite and in the same time suffer from diarrhea and vomiting. The cat worm can be found in both and can be quite large. Normal antiparasitic medication will help but you should still consult with a veterinarian.
Hookworms
The hookworm is named after its nasty hookformed head. It is also a cat worm that can infest kittens via the mothers milk and can affect cats of any age. This kind of cat worm is a nasty one, attaching itself to the inside of the cats intestines and suck their blood for nutrition. This will show as weight loss, anemia, progressive weakness and a poor hair coat. A more obvious symptom is diarrhea containing digested blood. To confirm the symptoms of this cat worm you will have to take your cat to the veterinarian for some tests. Although hookworms aren’t extremely dangerous for your cat, the most humane thing though, is to cure it.
Tapeworms
This cat worm is much more common in dogs than cats as they spread by ingesting fleas. As the tapeworm gets swallowed together with the flea it finds a nice spot in the upper parts of the cats intestines and attaches itself to the inside. There it will feed on what ever passes by and will grow and grow and grow. While growing this cat worm will detach segments of itself together with egg sacks that will follow the faeces through the cats intestine. Therefore a good symptom of this kind of cat worm is something that looks like bits of tape and rice grains mixed with the faeces. Due to the anal irritation the cat might drag its anus across the floor to relieve the itching. This is more common among dogs though. As this is quite a hardy cat worm you will need to go to the veterinarian to get the best antiparasitic available.