Tell me about cats/kittens and worms...?

Question

I was told by my daughter something I've never heard before and need to verify. Is it true that when a cat has kittens all the kittens and the mom need to be dewormed as the kittens are all born with worms???

And if 1 cat or kitten has worms should you assume they all do???

How can you tell which type of worms your cat/kitten has??? What is the best medication/treatment for each particular type of worm??? How can you protect your cat/kittens from reinfection???

Answer 1

Yes most kittens are born with worms and the way to get rid of them is to take them to the vet to get dewormed. It's just a simple shot that kills the worms. And yes, if one has it, it's safe to assume they all have them, especially if they use the same litter box. The vet can tell you what kind of worms they have, and how to treat.

Answer 2

Usually kittens are born with intestinal worms. So yes, the cat and kittens will need to be dewormed once they are old enough. The only way to tell  is by letting the vet do a fecal float to determine what type of worms to treat for. The only kind that usually does not show up in a fecal sample is tapeworms, which are identified by seeing in the f***s and the segments look like rice. The meds usually prescribed is Panacur for most worms, tapeworms are treated with Droncit. The best way to prevent worms is to keep the cats inside and to prevent fleas, which carry tapeworms.

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Answer 3

Not all kittens are born with worms. If you have an indoor cat and it is free of fleas and has previously been tested for worms, the kittens will not have them.

If a cat is allowed outdoors and has not had a flea preventative applied such as Advantage, the kittens and mother cat will most likely have worms.

The two most common types of worms are tape and round worm. Tape is caused when the cat ingests the flea eggs when cleaning their fur. The worm is in the intestine and can be many feet long. When they pass they break off   and appear like grains of rice. Round worm is from tainted food such as eating another animal with the worm. The round worm can be a long worm and lives in the stomach. Cats will vomit these up and pass them through the stools.

Droncet is the medicine of choice for worms. Buy it from the vet. Over the counter products don't work. They may kill the worm but not the egg so more will hatch and the cycle will continue.

Never give a new born kitten worming medicine, contact the vet to see at what age is safe. Same with the mother cat. When nursing, the kittens cannot come in contact with the flea medicine.

If your cat is pregnant, contact the vet and ask about Advantage. I find this as the best for cats.

To prevent re-infestation, Keep your pets protected with flea medication. People can bring fleas into the house on clothing, but if your cats are protected its not really much of a problem.

Hope this has helped.

Answer 4

I think that you should get them shots.  You have to let them get a shot every year.  Make sure all their shots are updated, too.