Home Remedies for Cats With Worms
Your cat's stomach and intestines are home to a host of tiny creatures -- microscopic critters that are actually normal, natural, and healthy for her. But sometimes the eggs of parasites get into her digestive system, developing into adult worms or other things that feed off the food going through her gut and steal its nutrition. Worms will thrive in the cat's gut, producing more eggs that are shed in the cat's feces and spread to other hosts.The most common unwanted tenants of your cat's digestive tract are roundworms, tapeworms, and Coccidia. Roundworms (or ascarids) look like short strands of thick white thread, and a cat with a particularly bad case may actually vomit some up. Adult roundworms lay eggs, which are passed in the cat's stool, and can be seen under a microscope. Tapeworms attach to the lining of the cat's intestine by their heads (called the scolex) and grow by segments. Each segment contains eggs, ripens, and is shed with the cat's stool. Since the eggs are contained in the segments, microscopic examination of a stool sample may not find them. Sometimes, the tapeworm segments -- which look like grains of rice -- can be found clinging to the cat's rectum. Coccidia aren't actually worms but microscopic one-celled organisms that live and breed in the cat's intestines.
 ©2006 Publications International, Ltd. Cats can sometimes get tapeworms from grooming themselves. |
Vanquish the vectors. Your cat has to get worms from somewhere or something else. A vector is the fancy word for the thing she gets it from. Fleas, for example, carry tapeworm. A cat with fleas grooms herself, swallows the flea with the tapeworm eggs, and -- voila! Similarly, a cat who shares a litter box (or goes outdoors) where a cat already infected with worms goes is likely to come in contact with eggs or spores shed in the infected cat's stool and -- voila! Another common vector is infected birds, mice, or other unfortunates that your cat captures and eats. Cats who hunt or are used as "mousers" are more likely to pick up parasites of many kinds, including toxoplasmosis, which has some health concerns for humans.
No news may not be good news. Kittens with worms may show diarrhea, slow weight gain, and a pot belly, and adult cats may have dark tarry stool, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss -- or no signs at all. Just because your cat doesn't have any symptoms doesn't mean she doesn't have worms. If your cat has never been checked for worms, it's a good idea to do it and to have a stool sample checked for any new cat brought into your home. Even if your cat has been treated for worms, should she get fleas, go outdoors, or hunt mice or other small creatures regularly, it's almost a sure bet she's got them again.
Only rely on the good stuff. Over-the-counter worming medications don't have enough punch to knock out worms for good. No home or folk remedies have been shown to be both effective and safe enough to get the job done, either. Prevention is the best cure, but if your cat does have worms, get the right medication in the right doses from your veterinarian.
Soothe the symptoms. Even after your cat has been treated for worms -- and sometimes as a result of the treatment -- she may have some stomach or intestinal distress. Following the steps in this chapter for treating diarrhea and vomiting can make her more comfortable while her gut gets back to normal.
When to Call the Vet
All cats should have a stool sample examined for worms -- the earlier the better. While many cats who have worms may have no symptoms, an infestation that goes unchecked for months or years has been robbing your cat of nutrients. What's more, she's been shedding the worms' eggs in her stool, passing them along to other animals in the house and in some cases, even to people.
Even if a cat has been wormed in the past, the treatment is not effective for life -- it just kills the worms that are in the cat's body at that time. Cats who go outdoors, hunt, are fed (or eat) raw or undercooked meat or meat products (including organs), have fleas, or share quarters with a cat who has been diagnosed with worms have probably been reinfected and should have a stool sample checked.
DANGER LEVEL: The most common worms are usually not dangerous, although untreated cases -- especially in debilitated cats -- can be dangerous. Some of the rarer types of worms and one-celled parasites can be moderately dangerous to dangerous, depending on how quickly they're diagnosed and treated.
We have saved or most serious problem for last. In the next section, we will discuss home remedies for cats with hearing or vision loss.
