Cat Worms
In their lives, almost all cat have an experience of at
least a single form of worm infection; those of the tapeworm
and the roundworm being the most common. Infection by worms is
something that can affect any pet including the cat, and not
only the dog as is widely believed. Normally the cats who are
less than six months of age are most prone to worm infection
and thus veterinarians suggest cat owners that they get a
monthly vaccination for their cat till the cat attains the age
of six months. This is also needed since kittens are born with
worms that stay in their body. Merely de-worming just kills the
worms that are alive, but not the eggs laid by them which may
develop further worms.
There are many reasons behind cats getting worms, and this
may not only cause inconvenience to the cat, but is dangerous
to the family members as well.
The general worm infection in cats is the tapeworm.
Consumption of food items that have been consumed by tapeworm
can result in this worm infection. This will make the eggs flow
into the cat’s body and develop into worms. Besides imposing a
threat to the cat’s life, they, as said, pose a danger to
humans living with the cat too. So the usage of medicines that
can prevent such kind of an infection (for instance, Advantix)
and also having regular check-ups for your cat helps a great
deal.
Hookworms and roundworms also infect the cat. The
consumption of soil or the transfer of larvae during pregnancy
or nursing is the primary cause behind such an infection. Due
to the mother’s nature to clean the feces of the children with
their mouth, the transfer can easily take place if the mother
has unchecked worm infection. Roundworms can be seen by mere
inspection of the feces of the cat, but hookworms are not easy
to identify by simply having a look at the feces.
The treatment of worm infection is a simple thing.
De-worming of the cat is one of the simplest kinds of treatment
and the medicines administered accelerate the process of
de-worming the cat. Also, hygiene should be maintained at the
house to prevent chances of the cat getting worm
infection.
1.Facts about tapeworms
All the worms are parasitic in nature, which feed in the
cat’s body and can cause sickness to them. Transfer of worms
can easily take place from cat to cat, and if you have more
cats in your house, it becomes a rather simple thing to
transfer infection.
There are many segments in a tapeworm and each of those
segments contains eggs that can produce further tapeworms. By
the process of excretion, it becomes easier to extract out the
infection from the cat’s body.
2.How are cats infected with tapeworm?
The transfer of tapeworm and the eggs from one cat to another
is the most common cause of infection to cats by tapeworms. Cat
fleas are also the primary source of tapeworm in cats. The
fleas consume the eggs of the tapeworms which then pass in the
stool of the cat, and if the cat happens to consume the flea
then transfer of the eggs is not a matter of time. So in order
to keep tapeworm infection at bay, make sure that your cat
doesn’t consume flea, which otherwise is a perfect recipe for
disaster!
3.Symptoms of tapeworms
The behavior of the cat should be checked constantly. If the
cats scratch the lick their anus too often, they probably have
got the infection. Irritation and losing the appetite are also
good indicators of the disease.
4.Treatment
If you have the slightest doubt
about the cat being infected by worms, take him to a
veterinarian for a check-up. A de-worming medicine prescribed
by him will almost surely get the cat out of the infection.
Make sure you maintain hygiene in the areas where the cat
normally resides. Also, make a proper diet for the cat so that
consumption of infected food is an option that is ruled
out.
5.Prevention
Keep fleas at bay to
prevent chances of the cat being infected by tapeworms. As said
earlier as well, a de-worming medication prescribed by the pet
will keep the worms at a mile’s distance from the
cat.
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