Your cat has worms, what do you see in your cat?
In most cats with a mild worm infection, which are regularly dewormed, you will see almost no symptoms. In the vast majority of cats you will only see it when a worm infection has been present for a long time. Cats with worms usually have chronic gastrointestinal complaints. In older kittens that aren't wormed, it's just a bit different. These young cats can have a lot of adult worms in the intestines, which can cause a blockage or bowel closure. Depending on the severity of the blockage, the older kitten may develop symptoms that could die in the most extreme case.
In a cat with worms you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:
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- Stressed cat due to gastrointestinal complaints
- Poor condition or dull coat
- Diarrhoea with sometimes worms and or with blood
- Normal stools with visible worms (more often you don't see any worms in the stool) or tapeworms
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- Breaks, possibly with worms
- Loss of weight
- In case of migration and lung or heart worms, shortness of breath can occur
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You think your cat's got worms?
If you deworm at least 4 times a year with
a good working anthelmintic for cats, then the complaints of a worm infection usually remain mild. Do you worm less often, does your cat hunt prey a lot, does your cat go on a trip to sunny southern Europe or is your cat's resistance not very good? Then your cat may indeed show one or more of the symptoms described above. Before you start worming, it's highly advisable to visit your vet. When a cat has a lot of worms, they will die by worming. When there is a large tangle of dead worms in the intestine, this can cause intestinal complaints such as constipation. Your vet can also look if there are other causes for the complaints and do a faecal examination to get an idea of the amount of worms but also the type of worms. When you need to deworm, the type of worm can be taken into account.
Prevent worms in cats
Adult cats don't always show that they are infected with worms. This is why veterinarians recommend to worm 4 times a year with
a good working anthelmintic for cats. When a cat is infected, it is very likely that the infection is still minimal and therefore the damage is limited. Unfortunately there are no products that protect cats preventively, but regular deworming is recommended. For kittens and young cats it is recommended to worm more often according to the following schedule: at 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks of age and then at 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9 months.
Worming on the basis of faecal examination
Do you prefer not to worm until you're sure your cat has worms? Then you can have your stool examined by your vet. Based on the results of the faecal examination, she can indicate whether it is necessary to worm and if so, against which types of worms.