My cat has worms?

Question

My cat has worms around his exit hole. They look and are about half the size of white rice (after they dry a little they are a little yellowish).

He had them maybe 3 or 4 times and each time we give him the medicine and he gets healthier looking and no more worms in around his rear. But it keeps coming back?

He also has fleas and is always chewing himself. The fleas only bother us in the summer and we washed him with the shampoo and a lot die but still more fleas. The fleas are another matter... Can the vet do a good job of defleaing?

Anyway whats up with these worms, are they worms even and what type?

We have the pills to give him which the vet showed us how to do. He hasn't been to the vet for this yet, but as you know they charge an arm and a leg. Not that our cat isn't worth the help but if we can heal him why not try.

Our new kitten (4 months or so) licks his butt a lot. Is there a good chance she has them also? If so how much of the pill should we give her. She's going to g

She is going to get fixed soon but all this worm stuff don't seem good. My other older cat had worms that he threw up one time, long about 1.5" and was still wiggling when he threw it up. It looked like round pasta. Anyway he hasn't had a problem since we gave him the pills and he is much healthier. Before he was skinny and losing fur, looked like he was gonna die, and he's old. Now he's gained a lot of weight (healthy weight) and full of fur, very energetic and good. My other cat, the one I am writing about who is only a couple years old has the recurring worms. Help!!!

Answer 1

It sounds like your cat has tapeworms. The common dog and cat flea carries tapeworms, so as long as your cats have fleas, they will have tapeworms. What you need to get is a good monthly preventative, such as Advantage. It is easy to use and can be bought at your vet's office or online with a prescription. Baths and collars (as you have learned) are inneffective and can potentially harm cats. It is very important that you do not use any store-bought products, especially Hartz. Hartz is infamous for causing very bad reactions in cats.
The active ingredient in flea control products is permithrin, which cats are especially sensitive to. Overdose (which is easy with cheap, poorly-made products) causes tremors, seizures, extremely high temperatures
(up to 106) and even death, if left untreated. This is why you should only used products approved for cats (NEVER use canine products), and only those that have been tested and approved by your vet.
Once you start using the monthly preventatve, treat your cats (
all of them) with an anthelmintic such as Cestex, to get rid of the worms once and for all. Once you get rid of them and begin to treat for the fleas continously, your problem should be solved.
Good luck with your pets!

Answer 2

She has a tape worm. What you are seeing is the dead segments of the tape worm that it sheds off. She needs to get to a vet before the tape worm causes her to lose too much weight, they can make them very sick and will kill if left untreated. My cat got one from a field mouse that snuck in our house and our vet just gave her an injection to kill it, she safely passed it the next day. No problems since! I have never heard of an actual working home remedy for this worm.

As far as the fleas, Advantage for cats works GREAT! Kills all fleas within 24 hours and only needs applied once a month to prevent more infestations. The kitten won't be able to use the Advantage unless it meets weight requirements but your older cat being treated will treat the kitten if they sleep near one another and will treat your house wherever the cat goes. Love the stuff!

Answer 3

I always keep the other half, as long as it was cut hygienically and popped straight back in the foil bubble, no problems. I would advise that you crush the half pill and mix it with your cat's favourite food (I use canned tuna, they can't resist it) as the sharper edges of the half pill make it difficult for the cat to swallow. 3 monthly is recommended based on the time it takes for adult tape worms to reach maturity, I'm told. This way, even if your cat is picking up worm eggs daily, she should never have a fully matured worm in her. If she doesn't go out, worms shouldn't be a problem. You ca get Drontal on-line from VetUK without a prescrpition, just pay by the tablet.

Answer 4

These are tape worms and they come from the fleas the cat eats while grooming himself. The best way to get rid of them is to get rid of the fleas and treat both him and the kitten for tape worms. I've been using Revolution monthly on my cats and the only one who still gets tape worms is my cat who insists on being let out daily to catch her own food. She gets tape worms sometimes in the summer because the vermin she eats has fleas and/or tape worms. Tape worms are relatively less dangerous than other worms since they need their host to be alive and therefore don't normally hurt otherwise healthy animals.
Check with your vet about controlling the fleas and tape worms.

Answer 5

Fleas and worms are both treatable conditions. Does your cat go outside? If so, the worm thing may be difficult as the source could be anywhere. The vet can give you a prescription catered to your cats size.

Fleas will get zonked by the prescription stuff you squirt on the backs of their necks. One treatment will do it. You may need to treat your rugs and furniture if you have them in your home.

Answer 6

As to the worm problem, I would consult the vet.

The fleas, now, that I can help you with! LOL When I adopted my babies, they were literally RIDDLED with fleas. They were a MESS, I've never seen fleas so bad. I tried the home dips, sprays, nothing worked. The girl at Petland suggested Capstar. It was a bit expensive, but in hindsight I will tell you it was worth EVERY PENNY. Within 20 minutes of giving it to them, the fleas were literally abandoning ship - you could see them jumping and falling off. I haven't seen one since!

One word of warning if you give the capstar... your cats will start acting a little nutty, running around, biting and scratching themselves. Mine did it, but they calmed down shortly.

Good luck!

Answer 7

As far as the fleas go- giving them baths and wearing flea collars aren't really going to do anything esp. if they're outdoor cats. You should really be using Frontline on them. If you're not wanting to buy it from the vet there are plenty of sites online that sell it at a lower price(even try eBay).

Answer 8

when our cat went to the vet for fleas, they gave him a flea bath, a flea collar, and then had us set off bug bombs in our house (put your cat somewhere else, like another house or outside, while this is happening! you should leave the home while this is happening too)

you may just have to go to the vet for those worms. i read that if cats keep having worms, it can ruin their intestines or cause them to be malnourished.

Answer 9

They must all be infected. Take them to a vet quickly. I lost an adorable cat to worms. It was a horrible sight to see one of the sweetest cats I've ever had dead, with the longest worm trying to escape his mouth. It was weird and sad. Is it possible that it may be acquiring it from other cats. Sorry.

Answer 10

To get rid of the worms, you need to get rid of the fleas. When they clean their fur, they ingest them, and this causes them to develop Tapeworm.. You can give them pills to get rid of the tapeworm, but they will keep coming back. You need to get them medicated baths, and flea bomb and vacuum VERY well and wash everything in the washing machine. It may take some time, but be persistent.