Signs that my kittens have worms?

Question

1) They eat 8 times a day and don't seem to gain weight
2) One has a "pot belly" appearance
3) One has sort of diarrhea, not entirely watery but not solid either
4) Both love to hang out under the house where mice usually are
5) They both lick their *** quite a bit
6) I saw a rice looking thing in one of the cat's poop

If they do have worms, what dewormer can I buy from Petsmart that would be effective for 7 week old kittens?

Answer 1

don't buy wormer's from the pet shop , go to the vet's and yes they have worm's from what u have said u will also need to deworm any other animale u have in the house aswell IE dog's and cat's
ps... this is to one of the other answer's , it dosn't cost hardly anything to get a wormer from ur vet's and u can't get a wormer for kitten's under 12 week's old in a pet shop u have to get that from a vet's , please don't give advice if u don't know what ur talking about , or would u rather they give there 7 week old kitten something that could possibley kill them ?

Answer 2

Sounds exactly like tapeworms!! You described it exactly( short pieces of rice). Tapeworms are caused by ingesting fleas. So either the kittens or the momma cat probably has fleas. You will have to treat the kittens for fleas and tapeworms. Frontline is the best flea medicine for cats and kittens. Then for the tapeworms, you are going to have to get a prescription from your vet. My vet uses Cestex. You can call and describe what you have seen in their poop and see if they will give you the medice. Or you may have to drop off some of the poop so that the Dr. or Technician can exam it under a microscope. This is also a good way to see what other types of worms your kittens may have. Unfortunately most de-wormers don't kill all parasites. So you may have to get Cestex for the tapeworms and another medicine if they find another kind of worm. Thats why it is best if you go to the vet, if you go to the pet store you will spend money treating worms that your kitten might not even have, or you will be treating for the wrong worm, leaving you kitten with more worms!! Kittens can get very sick from worms, which is why they are not gaining weight!!

PS: Don't by off brand flea products, such as Hartz, it can be deadly to cats, especially kittens....I have seen this happen!!

Answer 3

I'm a vet tech, and I would say that your kittens definately have atleast tape worms(the rice looking worms in the stool). I would not recommend using Petsmart dewormer. If they have seen a vet before it is very simple to just call the vet and tell them you are seeing worms. They will probably ask you to bring in a stool sample and then they will check for any other worms. They can give a simple dose of dewormer and that should solve the problem. I hope that helps!

Answer 4

These signs are definitely clear cut that your kittens have worms. They need to be taken to the vet to have their health assessed and vaccinations done. I have seen cases where people have bought over the counter parasite control and still have a worm problem. The medications sold by a pet store can only be strong enough without a prescription therefore they are usually ineffective. Veterinarians provide the best solution in cases like these and then you know your problem will be taken care of. The veterinarian can also test the stool to make sure all the worms are identified considering the kittens can be carrying more then one type.

Answer 5

if they have not been wormed yet for round worms (every mammal is born with round worms) then they definitely have worms. That "rice" looking thing was a tape worm! they start out small like that then they grow and get bigger by feeding off the food that just entered the intestinal tract, thereby not giving the poor little kitty it's nutrition and starving it's body of the important building blocks that it will need to grow to be an old kitty. When they get big enough they break off into lots more pieces of "rice". then those grow and get bigger and then they break off, continuing the cycle. Please, GO TO A VET AND GET THEM THEIR SHOTS, WORMED, AND CHECKED FOR RABIES as this is a common disease for mice, rats, squirrels, possum, raccoons, etc. Try to keep them away from that area. DON'T try to worm them on your own! Dronsit is the only drug that will kill the tape worm, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BUY OVER THE COUNTER TAPE WORMING MEDICATIONS!!!

Answer 6

if you saw anything rice looking in their poop, then chances are yes, they have worms. i may be wrong about this, but arent all kittens born with worms?? seems like someone told me that a while back. either way, i would skip petsmart and go to a vet. they can give them deworming meds that will work for sure. if $$ is why you havent taken them to the vet yet, call your local animal shelter and explain that you are low on cash and they will tell you which vets are the cheapest! but you need to get them to the vet soon. if you dont, other illnesses could appear, and even cause death. i hope this helped

Answer 7

Take the kittens to the vet as well as a stool sample. They need to start their series of distemper vaccines. It sounds like tapeworms. And no, not ALL kittens and puppies are born with worms. It would be better for them not to go outside. There are infectious diseases that can be transmitted by stray cats and if they eat mice, they will likely continue to get tapeworms. Also, they can be exposed to fleas. I've been a vet assistant for 10 years.

Answer 8

Yes, they definely have tapeworms. Don't buy dewormer at any store because they're not effective and strong enough. You can get it at the vet - the pill is round white tiny-size. You don't need to bring your kittens to the vet and have them check over - it's a waste of money since you already knew their symptoms. Just tell your vet over the phone and get the pills ready for you to pick it up.

To give your kitten a pill easily, just put a pill in a zip-lock bag and use something to smash it, to make it like a white powder. Mix it in the cat food. Be sure to give one plate for each kitty with one pill in it. After that, that should take care of it within 1-3 days.

Answer 9

Yes, they have worms. No, you can't just do the petsmart thing. Either a vet or going online to that online petmeds express place to get the special dewormer specifically designed to treat tapeworm (which is the rice like thing on the poop, extra tapeworm segments, yummy!)

Any other wormer from petsmart would work for OTHER worms, but tapeworms are more difficult to get rid of.

Good luck!

Answer 10

all babies dogs/cats are born with them. one is the pot belly look, thier butts could be red and the rice looking thing that was in the stool.

all you have to do is go to a pet store and buy the items, and if you dont know which one then ask the person in charge there, they should no, sadly i cant remember what exactly it is called.

and no i never took mine to the vet to get de-wormned that is a lot of money to use when you have effective items at your disposle in a pet store for less.