Q: Could my cat have worms? If so can they be treated?

A: Yes! Many cats will have some worms, and kittens WILL have worms. The two main types are roundworms and tapeworms.

Roundworms

Roundworms are very common, particularly in young cats and kittens. The two most common species found are Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina. With both of these worms, eggs passed in the faeces can be ingested (eaten) by another cat leading to transmission of infection. In addition, the eggs may be eaten by another animal ('intermediate host') such as a small rodent (for example a mouse or rat), and a cat can be infected by preying on (eating) the infected intermediate host. For Toxocara cati there is another important route of transmission to kittens, which is through the milk of the queen (mother). From earlier infections with roundworms, a queen will have some larvae remaining dormant in certain tissues in the body and when she gives birth to a litter of kittens these larvae migrate to the mammary glands and are excreted in the milk. This process causes no harm to the queen, but means that kittens are very commonly infected with roundworms from a very young age. Roundworm infections are extremely common, and it is safe to assume that all kittens will be infected.

Tapeworms

There are a variety of different tapeworms that can infect cats, but the two most common are Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaformis. The eggs of Dipylidium shed within the tapeworm segments in the faeces are eaten by flea larvae, and then other cats become infected with this tapeworm by ingestion (eating) an infected flea during grooming. As flea infections are so common in cats, this tapeworm is also common and it should be assumed that any cat with fleas will also have Dipylidium infection. In contrast, the eggs of Taenia taeniaformis are eaten by rodents (rats and mice) so other cats become infected during hunting by eating an infected rodent. Infection with this worm is less common therefore, but should be expected in any cat that actively hunts.

Treatment

Treatment of worms is quite straightforward. Both roundworms and tapeworms can be treated by administering tablets such as Drontal or Milbemax or by using a liquid or powder such as Panacur. We can now also use a spot-on liquid product called Profender to kill both types of worms - much easier than using tablets!!

Adult cats (over six months old) should be treated every 3 months or so with one of these products or more regularly (about every 6 weeks) if there are children in the household. Young kittens (4 weeks to 16 weeks) should be treated with a product effective against roundworms every 2 weeks. As in flea treatments there are some products you can buy in supermarkets etc. If they worked we would sell them!

Some of the spot-on flea treatments are also effective against roundworms (but not tapeworms) - e.g. Stronghold and Advocate - call and ask our nursing staff for more advice if needs.