What kind of worms do cats have? Types of worms in cats. General symptoms of helminthic infestation

The first signs of helminths in cats may be the following:

  • Weight loss;
  • Poor appetite;
  • Rapid fatigue and other signs indicating the animal’s ill health.

Depending on the shape and size, method of feeding and reproduction, helminths are classified into three main categories:

  • flukes;
  • tape;
  • roundworms.

You should know the enemy by sight, so it’s worth getting to know him better. Types of worms in cats with photos and names:

In some cases, the temperature rises. Standard views medicines V in this case are ineffective, so complex therapy is used to treat cats.

  • Metastases in internal organs and even the brain;
  • Liver tumor.

The source of infection is eaten rodents.

Cucumber tapeworm

The most common uninvited guest in an animal's body is the cucumber tapeworm. Therefore, in the majority of cases, a person picks up these worms. They do not always pose a serious danger, but in any case the body receives some damage from their presence. After infection, a person may notice the following symptoms:

  • Stomach upset;
  • Headache;
  • Impaired appetite.

Echinococcus

Roundworms

Cestodes

In general, cestodes are the most dangerous worms in cats for humans. Penetrating into the body, they quickly develop vigorous activity:

  • Reproduce;
  • Distributed throughout the body;
  • They poison the body.

The bottom line is that you can get infected from cats, and in some cases this entails serious problems with health and even life. But the pet, in turn, can also suffer from worms that came to it from a person. Therefore, you should not neglect the minimum requirements for prevention:

  • Hygiene monitoring;
  • High-quality prepared food;
  • Application anthelmintics.

Symptoms of worms in cats and kittens

The degree of manifestation of symptoms characterizing the presence of worms in cats depends on various factors:

  • Degree of damage;
  • Type of worm;
  • Features of the animal's body.

How to identify worms in cats? Basically, when worms are just beginning to settle inside a pet, signs of their presence may not be noticed, or they may be mild. The most common symptoms and signs of worms in cats include:

  • Bloated belly;
  • Premature birth in cats;
  • Blood in stool;
  • Purulent discharge from the nose and eyes;
  • Itching in the anus (the cat constantly rubs and licks the affected area);
  • Hair loss and dullness;
  • Yellowness on the mucous membranes;
  • Coughing attacks (especially with roundworms);
  • Gastrointestinal disorder;
  • Signs of intoxication.

Kittens may additionally exhibit symptoms of anemia and developmental delays.

It should be noted that the symptoms of worms in cats are in some cases similar to the signs characteristic of infectious and viral diseases. Carrying out deworming in this case is extremely contraindicated, as this can only aggravate the situation. Therefore, if any illness manifests itself, it is better to undergo laboratory and clinical tests to confirm the nature of the cat’s disease.

Treatment of worms in cats

How to remove worms from cats? At the first dangerous symptoms infection with helminths, it is necessary to urgently carry out a deworming procedure. It is worth considering that for this procedure it is necessary to use drugs specially developed for the animal body and the use of drugs produced for humans is unacceptable in this case. If this factor is not taken into account, the consequences can be unpredictable.

Dewormers for cats

What should you give your cat for worms? If you study various anthelmintic drugs in detail, you can draw a logical conclusion: deworming tablets for cats are divided into only two categories. In the first case, these are narrow-profile drugs that can cure an animal of one specific problem. Secondly, the medicine contains different components that can fight different types of unwanted travel companions. Such drugs are called complex, with a wide spectrum of action.

The second group includes most of all anthelmintic drugs. And they are all characterized, to one degree or another, same result. There are quite a lot of drugs produced by different manufacturers, so it’s worth focusing only on popular media, noted by experts and recognized by the public. These are the following remedies for worms in cats:

  • Polyverkan (sugar cubes);
  • Milbemax;
  • Kanikquantel;
  • Dirofen;
  • Drontal;
  • Pratel;
  • Prazicide suspension plus;
  • Febtal.

It is also worth noting that some medications are produced in the form of drops and suspensions, which makes it easier to administer the drug to a sick pet and facilitates accurate dosing of the drug.

You can now see the current price of anti-worm medications and buy them right here:

Top medicines

Leaders are everywhere, and this point is not spared by anthelmintic drugs for worms for cats. The following funds made it into the top three.

Drontal

The drug Drontal received first place for a reason. It was this type of tablets for deworming in cats that was received by greatest number positive feedback from pet owners. They appreciate the quality of the drug and its effectiveness. Also, an additional advantage is the price of Drontal - it is the most acceptable for this market segment.

The main components of the drug are praziquantel and pyrantel. They are the ones who successfully deal with round and tape helminths. For an adult cat weighing four kg, one tablet is enough to get the required dose of medicine.

Milbemax

What makes the medicine so popular is its multitasking properties. The drug is produced for both adult cats and small kittens. Although for babies under 6 weeks of age, it is still better to choose something else. Also, you should not give Milbemax to pregnant cats. The predominant number of reviews about this product are positive, which allows the product to take an honorable place in the list the best drugs from worms for the cat family.

Dirofen

Dirofen is one of the complex drugs. It is produced in the form of tablets and paste suspensions. The product contains pumpkin seed oil, which has a beneficial effect on the healing of the animal’s intestines and the general condition of the gastrointestinal tract after injury. The cost of the drug depends on the type of medicine, but in any case the price is quite reasonable. Most often, Dirofen is used to treat cestodosis and nematodosis in cats and kittens. This tool has proven itself due to its speed and high level efficiency.

What if the cat is pregnant?

How to give a cat an anti-worming tablet?

  1. The tablet should be crushed. The resulting powder should be mixed with your favorite liquid food pet. You can treat the “little patient” with the prepared treat.
  2. The cat is seated on your lap so that its back is to the person. Now, if the animal tries to back away, it will have nowhere to retreat. Then the pet will need to unclench its jaws and put the dewormer in its mouth. After this, holding the animal’s mouth closed, you need to start stroking the cat’s throat. This will cause a swallowing reflex and as a result the animal will receive the necessary dose of the medicinal drug.
  3. The thoroughly crushed tablet must be mixed with water. There should be little water, since the entire resulting mixture will need to be injected into the cat’s mouth using a syringe (without a needle, of course). As in the previous case, after administering the medicine you will need to close the animal’s mouth and induce a swallowing reflex.

For those who don’t want to invent anything, anti-worm drops, as well as pastes and suspensions are available for sale. But if we take drops as an example, they are recommended to be used only for preventive purposes, since they have a less pronounced therapeutic effect. For complete treatment, especially in advanced cases, it is better to use tablets.

How to give a cat an anti-worming tablet - watch the instructions in the video:

Prevention of worms

Preventive deworming in kittens and cats should be carried out at least four times a year. And for pets walking outside, the schedule can be tightened. Compliance with hygiene and cleanliness standards. Several rules for preventing worms in cats:

  1. Such a simple rule as washing your hands after contact with an animal - good way prevent accidental infection.
  2. Also, don't let the cat touch your face and especially your lips. This also applies to kissing a pet.
  3. The cat's litter box should be changed frequently. It won't hurt to wash and disinfect it from time to time either.
  4. It is better not to give your cat raw foods, especially meat and fish.
  5. If there are several cats in the house, deworming medications will need to be given to everyone, and this should be done at the same time.

Compliance with simple prevention methods greatly reduces the risk of infection of a cat and, as a result, a person.

If you still have questions about the treatment of worms in cats, write in the comments, we will try to answer!

A severe infection with worms can lead to the death of a cat! If you give medications to prevent worms in a timely manner, you will not see your pet sick and will protect yourself!

Main types and their features

Roundworms

The most common type of infection found in cats, as in humans, is roundworms. But in animals, due to their larger numbers, these worms are capable of causing irreparable harm to the body, damaging internal organs, especially kittens.

Scheme of infection with the most common worms - roundworms, the genus Ascaris

In mature cats, you may even notice bloody diarrhea caused by damage to the intestinal walls by helminths. And kittens, with severe disease, even die due to blood loss after a few days.

During pregnancy, the larvae of roundworms, which migrate through the bloodstream during the development cycle, are not able to be transmitted through the placenta to kittens, unlike this mechanism of infection in dogs. But they are present in mother’s milk already in the first days after birth. With all this, a pregnant cat may test negative for roundworm eggs, since the larvae are usually encapsulated in muscle tissue and are activated only after birth to infect the offspring. Therefore, there is a recommendation to give anthelmintics 1-2 weeks before birth. During this period, they will no longer harm future kittens, but will only reduce the number of worms that begin to awaken.

Tapeworms and flukes

Also with feces you can notice another phenomenon that is unusual for healthy animals - the release of segments of tapeworms. They resemble the appearance of pasta or mukha faces, and when dry, they resemble mustard-colored rice grains. Their location may be on the ground, carpet, or anus. Also, these emerging segments are able to maintain movement for some time.

Tapeworms, like trematodes, have a different development cycle, in which an intermediate host participates. These are fleas, mice, frogs, fish. Consequently, infection with such worms occurs when a cat eats animal flesh or accidentally ingests a flea. Tapeworms and flukes are no more likely to cause such serious internal damage and are less common.


Scheme of infection with tapeworms (more specifically)

Worm eggs released by animals retain their ability to become infected for many months. They can also be found in the body of fleas (cucumber tapeworm) for some period. Therefore, to prevent worms, it is important to expel them too. When there are a lot of fleas on a cat, the animal tries by all means to get rid of these annoying insects. After all, when a cat licks itself, there is a possibility of swallowing an insect. Fleas that enter the stomach are digested, and thus the larvae tapeworms are released and attach to the intestinal wall, where they will later grow into mature worms.

General symptoms and signs of worms in cats

Like a person, an animal cannot complain about bad condition health. But watching the animal, you can see changes and wonder about its well-being. Pet owners can independently provide the necessary medical care.

Usually, healthy cats very active, showing interest in what is happening in environment: they play, wash themselves, purr, rub against the owner, give voice (meow). In such pets a good appetite, they quickly consume food and eat cat treats with pleasure. The cat regularly goes to the litter or sand. If you doubt her health, measure her temperature. The norm is 37.5-39 C, i.e. her body should feel moderately warm.

Cats infected with helminths become lethargic, indifferent, motionless, and do not respond to their names. The animal prefers to lie down, huddling in the corners of rooms, and rises from its place without hunting. The appetite is weak or completely absent, the pet’s coat is dull, there may be shortness of breath, diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, and increased thirst is often observed.

Besides, important signs Worms in a cat include repeated hiccups, vomiting after feeding, drooling, coughing, emaciation, dull fur, and so on. Sometimes you can even visually detect worms in the feces and vomit of a sick cat.


Toxocara (related to roundworms) in cat feces

Treatment

Today there are many medicines from worms. The abundance of products offered in veterinary pharmacies allows you to choose what suits your particular cat. As the practice of doctors shows, drug compositions have a detrimental effect on the body of worms, and at the same time without damaging the pet’s body. Although they are not completely harmless.

Many veterinarians advise giving cats only oral medications (tablets, suspensions). Since if there is an excess of them, the animal may regurgitate excess. And in the case of injections either complex means applied to the withers, an overdose is more dangerous.

If you notice symptoms of the disease and are not sure that they are caused by helminths, then you need to go to the doctor. In a medical institution to a pet will be provided necessary help and the required drug was prescribed.

Veterinary experts recommend systematically doing deworming – once every 4-6 months. Nowadays, the optimal drugs for worms are Dronta, Prazitel, Azipirin, Polyvercan. It is mandatory to re-use the product after 2 weeks, otherwise the effect will be weak.

To achieve maximum results, there is the following treatment regimen. The drug is given the first time, and after 10 days - again. The thing is that the antihelminthic acts more effectively on adults and larvae inside the intestines. And at the first dose, we destroy them, and after 10 days, those roundworms that were still in the process of migrating through the bloodstream during the first dose enter the intestines.

The kitten definitely needs to be dewormed, as it will almost always be infected through milk, not to mention ingested eggs from other sources. At the age of one month, a drug is given that will rid him of roundworms. To consolidate the result, the procedure is repeated after 2 weeks.

How to give a cat deworming medicine?

Anthelmintics (colloquially “anthelmintics”) are pharmaceutical substances used to rid the body of animals of helminths.

Most of anthelmintics – these are pills, dragees, capsules, suspensions. Almost all of them have a seductive aroma (for example, meat), which also lures the animal to eat the tablets on its own.

But it is often possible to trick a cat into eating aromatic medicine even with its favorite food. Therefore, the pills have to be given by force. There is no need to make a big deal out of this so that the pet does not become stubborn. Otherwise, your subsequent attempts to repeat this procedure will be painful.

Read more in pictures, how it is safe for yourself and.

  1. Almost all oral medications are best given in the morning on an empty stomach for better absorption due to good absorption.
  2. The pet is placed on the knees or the floor, stroked and the cat’s head is carefully taken in the palms without sudden movements. Holding the left and right hands above and below, open the animal’s mouth slightly. With the hand that is located below, at this time, place the pill on the base of the tongue (in the throat). Then, using a pre-drawn syringe without a needle, pour up to 50 ml of water over the cheek for better swallowing of the medicine. Use without water is fraught with pharyngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane), as the medicine can get stuck in the throat or esophagus.
  3. After this, the cat can be fed.

Some owners prefer to try adding a crushed tablet inside a piece of some highly desirable food. For example, do this with a small raw fish (small crucian carp, goby), stuffing pieces of the drug into its mouth. But it is not advisable to do this. Most antihelminthic drugs are coated, which dissolves only when the drug enters the intestines. A crushed tablet will lose this property. And in most cases, the cat will smell the product and will not even want to eat meat.

Flea remedies

Since fleas themselves are intermediate hosts of worms, and therefore their carriers, it is also important to get rid of them.

There are many means to fight. When choosing a drug, you will come across a variety of them. Drops on the withers have a relatively gentle effect and are distributed evenly throughout the body (Advantage, Hartz, Stronghold). Sprays are considered the most effective (Frontline, Hartz). Shampoos are suitable for kittens due to their gentle application (Rolf Club, Mr.Kiss). Collars are more suitable for prevention (Hartz, Bolfo). Powders – for pregnant cats. But use in combination (for example, a collar and shampoo) gives the most positive results.

Conclusion

To avoid troubles in the treatment process, it is better not to skimp and regularly carry out preventive measures. Once every three months it is recommended to give your cat an anti-worm tablet. Moreover, this will protect the pet from prolonged treatment.

Here I will talk about how to detect worms in cats, what they look like, what are the main causes and what means to fight them, how to remove them at home, what to do. How to worm correctly. I will describe the signs of infection. I will describe preventive measures. I will explain whether a person can become infected with worms from a cat.

Symptoms and signs of worm infection in cats and kittens

How to determine and understand that a cat is infected. Worms, worms different types, including flat ones, cause a cat various symptoms, depending on the degree of damage to the body. But sometimes lungworms also occur in cats.

Symptoms may be absent or mild at first.

The most frequent symptoms worms:

  • malfunctions digestive system(such as vomiting, refusal to feed or abnormally high appetite, constipation, and sometimes, on the contrary, diarrhea);
  • coughing attacks (most often if it is due to roundworms);
  • yellowing of mucous membranes;
  • liver enlargement;
  • anemia, most pronounced in kittens;
  • disheveledness, dullness, even hair loss;
  • itching in the anus;
  • small rash and baldness near the anus;
  • rash on the ears and/or under the fur;
  • pus from the eyes or nose;
  • bloody feces;
  • miscarriage or abortion;
  • bloating and tightness of the abdomen;
  • kittens may experience developmental delays;
  • lethargy and rapid fatigue;
  • nervous and restless behavior;
  • mouth stinks;
  • presence of fleas;
  • butt riding;
  • sudden weight loss;
  • feces with moving worms;
  • intoxication of the body;

Three last symptom signal that the case is serious.

Although it is difficult to notice at first that a cat is infected with worms, the disease progresses quickly.

Because of this, the animal weakens more and more quickly.

According to popular belief, keeping a cat at home means reliably protecting it from worms. But she can pick them up even at home.

The owner may notice long white worms ranging from 6 to 10 cm in size in the kitten's feces. These white helminths are classified as nematodes.

If a kitten has contracted roundworms somewhere, the symptoms are as follows:

  • poor appetite;
  • rapid weight loss;
  • bloated tummy;
  • cough;
  • anemia of the mucous membranes.

Based on the symptoms, helminthic infestation can be confused with diseases caused by bacteria.


With the latter, deworming should never be carried out: this can harm the cat, or even kill it. But inaction when infected with worms is no less dangerous. Therefore, if there is any suspicion, the cat must be taken to the veterinarian so that he can examine it and make a diagnosis.

When to worm a kitten for the first time

For the first time, a kitten must be dewormed at 6 weeks of age. A baby, if his mother cat had worms, could become infected from her, even while developing in the womb, and they need to be gotten rid of.

Even if they are lucky enough to be born healthy, kittens can pick up worm eggs through the milk from their own mother.

No cat is immune from worms unless you give it anthelmintic drugs. Never even going outside.


A kitten picked up on the street should be wormed first, even if it is less than 6 weeks old. And if it’s more, it’s all the more necessary to do it.

In any case, the baby must be at least 3 weeks old before undergoing these procedures. This is the minimum age.

How to do worming at home

It is safer to deworm a cat, regardless of its gender and age, at a veterinary clinic and use it carefully folk remedies. It is necessary to monitor how the treatment is progressing by taking stool tests.

If you have to deworm a cat yourself, you must carefully follow the instructions for the drug, strictly observing the indicated dosage.

For example, which are applied to the scruff of the animal.


If you give your pet a pill, you need to make sure that your pet swallows it.

To do this, you can use one of the following methods:

  • crush the tablet and mix it into the animal’s favorite treat. For example, in pates, mousses, jellies, homemade minced beef or chicken;
  • use a peeler. This is a device for giving a pill to an animal. The peeler can be bought at a pharmacy. It looks like a syringe with a rubber tip. A tablet is fixed in this tip, the mug's mouth is opened, the tip is brought as close as possible to the root of the tongue, and the medicine is pushed out by pressing the piston. After this, the pet’s mouth is closed and held. At the same time, they stroke the throat from top to bottom to stimulate the swallowing reflex;
  • Grind the tablet and dissolve it in a small amount of water. Using a syringe without a needle, inject the solution into the animal's cheek.

The second and third methods can cause severe drooling. But it normal.

It is best to give the medicine again after 10-14 days. This is necessary to kill those worms that have not yet hatched in the first wave. If the case is severe, the need for longer treatment cannot be ruled out.

The use of the drug for preventive purposes implies its use once at a certain time.

Best in the morning. It is possible without preparation.

Murka that often goes outside must be dewormed regularly. At increased risk If a cat is infected, it should be given anthelmintics every three months. 14 days before vaccination and 10 days before vaccination, the animal should also be anthelmintic. A cat expecting offspring is wormed approximately 21 days before giving birth, with the procedure repeated five weeks after lambing. Do not use anthelmintic on kittens under 21 days old!

If the animal is old, you should first consult a veterinarian by reading the instructions for the drug.

If a cat, especially a kitten, has worms in its feces, it is necessary to treat urgently, the days are already counting!

Rules for home anthelmintic procedure for kittens:

  • should use medications wide range actions so that they kill both roundworms and tapeworms;
  • Before the procedure, the baby must be weighed;
  • the anthelmintic must be suitable for the age of the kitten; in no case should it be given to children younger than the age specified in the instructions;
  • you must follow the instructions exactly.

General rules for treating worms at home

  • Buy medications for worms only from reliable veterinary pharmacies. At the same time, look at the expiration date and instructions. You can’t buy such drugs either in dubious establishments, or in markets, or in underground passages: it’s easy to run into a fake;
  • You cannot deworm your pet with a drug for humans or dogs;
  • during the anthelmintic treatment, disinfect all cat accessories using chlorine-containing substances;
  • After the procedure, the cat must go to the toilet. Otherwise, she needs a laxative;
  • a sick or recently recovered animal cannot be dewormed;
  • remove fleas from a flea-ridden cat before deworming.

Contraindications

  • exhaustion and weakness;
  • diseases caused by a virus, infection;
  • pregnancy and lactation;
  • age younger than specified in the instructions.

Types of anthelmintic drugs

Medicines for cats against worms are divided into two types:

  • anthelmintics for a specific type of worm;
  • complex, universal.

They have different pharmaceutical forms:

  • solutions for injections;
  • drops;
  • paste;
  • suspension;
  • pills.

Before starting treatment, you should read the instructions for the drug.

There you can find out the ratio of weight and dose. Take a closer look at the contraindications: there are medications that cannot be used on pregnant, elderly and small cats.

Popular drugs:

  • . An excellent drug, but only for domestic cats. A bit weak for outdoor animals. The minimum age of a kitten he treats is one and a half months.
  • , . In-demand drugs with a narrow spectrum of action. Weak: they may not help a street animal. Due to its popularity, it is easy to run into fakes that are deadly for your pet. Suitable for pregnant animals.
  • Dirofen. Do not give it to a kitten until one and a half months old. A universal and powerful remedy.
  • . This drug should also not be used on kittens under one and a half months of age. Not bad gentle drops on the withers. How much to drip is determined by the weight of the four-legged patient.
  • Vacation. A gentle drug. Can be used even on three-week-old kittens.

You should not buy anthelmintic in dubious places, such as markets or underground passages. You need to ask sellers if they have certificates for their goods. Before purchasing a medicine, you should carefully study the packaging. All these measures are necessary to avoid running into a fake.

Is it possible to get infected with cat worms?

Worms are transmitted from animals to humans. The pet must be wormed regularly, especially if children live in the apartment.

And they are different for cats. Therefore, your pet needs to be dewormed regularly.

Strongyloides.

Grows up to 10 cm

Toxocara cati has a straight life cycle, in which cats and other felines act as the definitive hosts. Inside the eggs, excreted in the feces, larvae develop within 2-3 weeks (depending on weather conditions). These eggs, which contain larvae, are infective for cats and other definitive hosts. One infected cat or kitten can produce more than 100,000 eggs per gram of feces. Under the right conditions, these eggs can survive and remain infective for months or even years in the soil.

Migrating larvae in various organs may also cause cough, nasal discharge, constipation, jaundice and allergic reactions.

Trichuris

Pictured is Trichuris serrata. Their length is 40 mm in males and 48 mm in females, and in T. campanula - 20.5 and 31.5 mm, respectively.

The most common hookworm species infecting cats are Ancylostoma braziliense, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, and Ancylostoma caninum.

The disease caused by hookworms is called hookworm. Adult worms, localized in the intestines, are insatiable bloodsuckers and can change their point of attachment to the mucosa up to six times a day. They produce anticoagulants that prevent blood from clotting. When the worm changes its bite site, bleeding continues at the previous site. One worm can consume up to 0.1 ml of blood within 24 hours. 100 worms consume up to 10 ml of blood per day and leave about 600 wounds that continue to bleed.

Infection with multiple worms in healthy adult animals may remain asymptomatic. But severe infections cause bleeding and anemia due to blood loss, which is dangerous and in some cases can be fatal. Cats with hookworm infection also often have dark and bloody diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, lethargy, and dull fur.

Invading hookworm larvae can cause skin inflammation (dermatitis) at the points of entry, which may become infected with secondary bacteria. Allergic reactions may also occur along migration routes.

Hookworm larvae of the species that infect dogs and cats can sometimes try to infect people through the skin, especially if a person walks barefoot in infected areas (gardens, yards, etc.). The larvae enter the skin and begin to migrate, causing a disease called cutaneous larva migrans. The migration paths are often visible externally as red lines under the skin. These larvae usually die spontaneously after a few weeks. Very rarely they can reach the lungs, other organs or muscles. However, human hookworm species (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) are significantly more harmful to humans than their veterinary relatives.

Strongyloides

Strongyloides stercoralis. Females - from 2.0 to 2.5 mm, males - up to 0.9 mm.

Humans can become infected with this type of helminth through contact with the feces of infected animals, but most often this occurs while walking barefoot in areas infested with Strongyloides larvae (gardens, backyards, etc.).

In cats, Strongyloides infections are usually asymptomatic. With multiple helminth infections, loss of appetite, weakness, weight loss, dehydration, and fever may occur.

Clinical manifestations of the disease stem from disruption and damage to the functioning of many organs. Because animals need to be treated on time, since a sick four-legged friend suffers not only himself and requires the help of the owner, members of the family where the cat lives can also be affected.

Methods of infection

The most common type of infection in any pet is oral. If a cat is allowed to walk on its own, then this type can be realized by eating caught infected birds or rodents, grass, drinking water from dirty ponds and puddles, found spoiled or raw fish and meat, contact with contaminated feces, and so on.

Transdermal and intrauterine involvement is also likely.

Symptoms of worm infection in cats

Many common helminth infections have the same clinical picture. To begin with, the symptoms of cat worms affect the animal’s digestive system and its general well-being.

During helminthiasis, the owner pays attention to the consumption of obviously inedible foods (transformation of taste - parerexia), complete absence or loss of appetite, significant weight loss in the cat. The animal is physically inactive, apathetic, weakened. The coat is dull, faded, disheveled, and ragged. Lacrimation, sclera and icterus of mucous membranes. Characterized by vomiting, nausea, bloating, peristalsis disturbances, anal itching, as well as the presence of blood in mucus or feces. You can visually find dead or living helminths (parts thereof) in the area of ​​the anus. During the examination, the veterinarian will detect an enlarged liver.

The most common worms in cats, prevention and treatment

U domestic cat Three main groups of intestinal helminths are most often observed. All of these variants are infectious to humans.

Nematode roundworms

Tests for this type of worms - immunogram, microscopic analysis of stool, x-ray, ultrasound.

Treatment is prescribed by a veterinarian, any anti-worming drug for cats is selected:

During treatment, complications of an allergic nature are likely, during which antihistamines are prescribed.

During transdermal introduction of the larvae into the bloodstream transported to the capillaries of the pulmonary circulation, then into the bronchi and oral cavity of the cat, then swallowed and then enter the intestines. Their development takes 19–23 days.

With the help of hooks, hookworms are attached to the intestinal wall and feed on the host’s blood, secreting and synthesizing anti-clotting substances.

Detection - helminthological analysis of feces according to Fulleborn.

Getting rid of worms:

  • droncit, praziquantel - once with food: half a tablet per 6 kg of weight or 6 mg/kg of powder;
  • pyrantel - half a tablet per 6 kg of weight once. There is such a variety as anti-worming tablets for kittens;
  • Rintal febantel - every day, course dosage 0.03 g/kg with food, single dose - 0.01 g/kg;
  • Panacur fenbendazole - every day, course dosage 125 mg/kg, single dose - 25 mg/kg.

Cestodosis tapeworms

Worms in cats

raw fish animals. The period of larval development is 14–24 days. Adult worms live in a cat’s body for 22–28 days. It provokes mechanical alteration of the intestinal mucosa, causing a delay in the transportation of the food bolus and an inflammatory reaction.

Distinctive clinical manifestations. Nausea, depression general condition, fecal retention, diarrhea or vomiting. Allergic reaction or intoxication The presence of worms is indicated by lack of appetite, fatigue, fever, swelling and skin rash.

Treatment for worms:

  • fenaps paste - 0.5 mg/kg once before feeding;
  • azinox - one tablet per 11 kg of total weight;
  • Skoloban bunamidine - twice once every four days with meals. Single dosage 27-4 mg/kg;
  • drontal tablets - once, four tablets per 1 kg of total weight. There is such a variety as anti-worming tablets for kittens;
  • Fenasal suspension - 1.3 g/kg once with food;
  • droncit praziquantel - once with food, 6 mg/kg;
  • lopatol - once 110 mg/kg.

Definitions of presence: a scatological study according to Fulleborn.

Treatment of worms:

Flukes - trematodes

Distinctive clinical manifestations in cats are apathy, lethargy, increasing weight loss, lethargy, yellowness of the mucous membranes or pallor and other signs of helminthiasis.

Treatment of worms:

  • polytrem and ixichol - once, 0.3 g/kg and 0.16 g/kg with minced meat after a twelve-hour fast;
  • hexachloroparaxylene - once, 0.3–0.7 g/kg with a small amount of minced meat after a fourteen-hour fast.

Diagnosis takes into account symptoms of the disease and laboratory flotation tests of feces.

Treatment of worms:

  • lopatol - 0.3 g/kg;
  • fenasal - 0.3 g/kg;
  • hydrobromide arecoline - 0.005 g/kg, once.

It should be noted that the majority modern drugs can be purchased as a separate method of use – drops on the withers against worms for cats. This option for delivering anthelmintics has both its pros and cons.

Having a pet, especially a cat, is an almost 100% guarantee that all family members, and especially small children will be affected by worms, if they do not follow some rules. Never kiss or allow a cat to lick your face; after any stroking of the cat, even if it was a fleeting movement of the palm on the back or head, you need to wash your hands.

Of the 81 varieties of helminths that can infect cats, more than 35 varieties perfectly take root in the human body, the most the most dangerous of them are toxascarosis, toxocariasis and dipilidia. Therefore, make sure that all family members, especially children, take the problem of personal hygiene seriously, and do not let anyone kiss the cat.

The owner also needs Do not allow your cat to eat rodents (caught rats and mice), raw fish or meat. The animal's sleeping place, toys, tray and bowls must be thoroughly disinfected and cleaned.

Thus, despite the high probability of helminthic infection, You can easily keep your cat (and yourself) safe from these unpleasant cases, you just need to carefully monitor the condition pet and execute simple rules hygiene and prevention.