What to do in case of worm infestations? Let’s find out the symptoms and risks associated with this condition and understand how to deworm the cat.
Periodically subjecting your cat to deworming treatment is a very important practice. In fact, these parasites infest not only newborn kittens, but also adult felines, posing risks to their health. Let’s see what are the indicators of the presence of worms and how to properly deworm the cat.
Symptoms of worm infestation
How to detect the presence of worms, to understand if it is appropriate to deworm the cat? Cats do not always manifest the symptoms of infestation. As any person who enjoys the company of felines knows well, in fact, these animals can be very skilled in hiding their malaise.
For this, to detect the presence of parasites it is desirable to examine the feces or vomiting of the cat, through which fragments of tapeworm containing the eggs of the worm are expelled. In case of severe infestation, the feline may experience some symptoms.
Among them, there are gastrointestinal disorders, swollen belly, weight loss and hair loss in the cat. To identify with certainty the infestation of worms in the cat, it will be advisable to subject the animal to a special stool test.
This examination will reveal not only the presence of these parasites, but also to what type they belong.
How to properly deworm the cat
To eliminate intestinal parasites in the cat, several solutions are available on the market. Among them, the most common is represented by dewormers in the form of tablets. Depending on the type of pest worm, your veterinarian will be able to tell you which medicine is best suited.
It is a very simple therapy, due to the ease of administration of the tablet to the cat, which can be mixed inside its food. You can also decide to administer a dewormer in liquid form, injecting it into the cat’s mouth through a syringe without a needle.
Alternatively, you can use a paste to spread on the mouth of the feline or to be inserted inside the gruel. In case of more serious infestations, the veterinarian may evaluate the administration of special drugs by injection into the blood.
Of course, to know how to deworm the cat in the right way, do not neglect to ask your trusted veterinarian for an opinion.
The risks to the health of the cat
All kittens, at birth, have a worm infestation. The reason is simple: they are transmitted to the puppy through mother’s milk. These parasites can cause a delay in the growth of the cat, as well as damage to the immune system.
In fact, the presence of worms prevents the cat from assimilating all the nutrients of the food, which are essential for its development. The most common parasites in the cat are roundworms and tapeworm. They represent a double risk, as they can also be transmitted to humans.
The most common mode of contagion occurs orally. For example, through contamination of food, touched with dirty hands. In adult cats, the presence of worms is caused by fleas in the cat.
This external parasite, in particular, serves as an intermediate host for the tapeworm. It is a flatworm that enters the cat’s organism during cleaning operations. Licking the hair, in fact, ingests the eggs.
In this way, they attach to the walls of the intestine, growing and reproducing inside the new host.
Preventing worm infestation in cats
Deworming the cat is an operation that should be done regularly. To transmit the infestation by intestinal parasites to your cat, in fact, could also be other animals.
For this reason, if the feline lives exclusively in the house it is advisable to subject it to this treatment every 3 months. If, on the other hand, you also have access to outdoor environments, you must repeat this procedure every 45 days or so.
What can you do, to reduce the risk of worm infestation in the cat? Avoid giving the cat raw meat, make sure that its diet is balanced and give them supplements to strengthen its immune system, first consulting the advice of the veterinarian.
