Cat worming
Protecting your cat against worms is as much a part of pet care as good diet, and the right sort of exercise. Worms are important because they affect the condition of your pet and they can be unhealthy for you and your family. Two types of worms affect cats: Roundworms and Tapeworms. Both are intestinal parasites which can be found in any cat although infection is easily treated.
Roundworms
Roundworm infestation can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties, anaemia, a pot-bellied appearance and a failure to thrive. In adult cats worms are usually acquired through hunting resulting in few clinical symptoms. Unlike dogs, cats are not thought to be the major source of roundworms to humans.
Toxocara catii
Treatment regime
The treatment regime for each animal varies as it is very much dependent on their lifestyle, it is therefore advisable to discuss this with a vet or vet nurse at the practice. Roundworms are 5-15 cm long, white or fawn in colour and round in cross-section: they tend to coil up like a spring.
Tapeworms
Heavy infestations can cause anal irritation, digestive disturbances and ill thrift. They are also aesthetically unpleasant as the segments, which resemble cucumber seeds or rice grains leave via the anus to deposit their eggs. The most common tapeworm in cats is Dipylidium caninum which is contracted when the cats eat an infected flea or louse. For obvious reasons tapeworm therapy should be accompanied by vigorous steps to control any associated flea problems.
A second type, Taenia, is usually contracted through hunting. The time between eating an infective stage of worm to showing segments varies from approximately 3 weeks in the case of Dipylidium to 2 or 3 months in the Taenia species of worm.