Feline Worms - Three Common Types of Feline Worms

By D Swain

There are three common feline worms that affects cats. They include hookworms, tapeworms, and roundworms. These worms multiply as they live inside your cat. If there get to be too many, it can be life-threatening for your cat. Let's take a look at these feline worms.

Roundworms

Roundworms live in the same intestine and can reach up to five inches in length. Most cats become infected by coming into contact with feces or food. Queens can also pass them to their kittens through their milk.

These worms are relatively large, so they can easily cause an intestinal blockage as they multiply. An infestation can quickly become serious for kittens. Your veterinarian can determine if your cat has these feline worms by examining his stool. An infestation is easily treated through use of a deworming medication.

Hookworms

Hookworms are much smaller than roundworms, as they only measure half an inch. Your cat can swallow them in his food and become infected. Sometimes, the worms are able to penetrate the cat's skin. Like roundworms, hookworms infect the intestines also, but only after passing through the lungs.

An infestation of hookworms can also be life-threatening. They cause blood loss when they attach themselves to your cat's intestines. If they get to be too numerous, your cat can develop anemia. Fortunately, hookworms can be detected through a stool sample and treated with deworming medications.

Tapeworms

Unlike the two previous species, tapeworms rarely cause serious damage to your cat. These feline worms infect cats when they ingest contaminated rodents or fleas. The adults mature in the small intestine. They also shed segments that pass from the cat's body through his stool. You can easily spot the segments by looking at your cat's feces closely. Tapeworms are also easy to treat through use of deworming medications. However, you need to adopt a flea control program if you want to prevent your cat from getting infected again.

Some types of worms can be very dangerous to your cat. To learn about a range of other cat illnesses such as feline ringworm, stop by cat-illnesses.com. Your cat will thank you for it.