My cat had fleas. Hard stomach, warm, acting odd. Could it be worms?

Yes, it is quite possible that she could have fleas without tapeworms! Not every flea is infected with tapeworm larvae. Tapeworms are a "see it, treat it" parasite, meaning we only treat for tapeworms when we see them in stool or see proglottids (the little segments that look like rice granules) around the anus or stuck in the hair on the backside, or if there is suspicion that tapeworms are causing chronic weight loss.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I agree that a heavy worm burden can cause what you’re describing. In fact, it is the most likely reason. You can try an over the counter cat dewormer from a pet store. Follow the directions exactly in terms of amount and number of treatments. Hopefully, that’s all it takes to get her feeling better. Unfortunately, there are other (much less common) things that can cause large belly, weight loss, and lethargy including: FIP, heart failure, liver failure, cancer, protein problems, etc. So, if the dewormer doesn’t help, you may have to decide if you’d want to take her to the vet for further testing or if you’d like her humanely euthanized, etc. Best wishes and thank you so much for taking care of this stray!

Worms can cause abdominal distention. Some pets can also have a very slow metabolism and she may be taking in too many calories. I recommend to have her stool checked for worms and a physical exam. The doctor can calculate exactly how many calories she needs to achieve a healthy weight based upon her body structure of it’s not parasites. I hope this helps.

Intestinal worms are very common in kittens, and usually quite easy to treat :) If you are seeing them in the litter box, it's likely that they are either roundworms or tapeworms. If you can, try and put some of the worms in a plastic bag to show your vet - he/she can prescribe an appropriate dewormer to get rid of them. If Snow is not eating anything and has a fever, I would be concerned that something more serious may be wrong - worms do not normally cause these symptoms. It would be best to take him to the vet today for an exam. Your vet may recommend blood work or other testing to help diagnose the problem so that he can be properly treated.

I would be more inclined to think that your kitty is obstipated (inability to defecate). As the pet gets backed up there is no where for the ingested food to go, so the cat vomits it back up. Also the stomach will be firm and distended with feces that collect in the colon. Cats that cannot poop for several days will also get full anal glands, this causes irritation of the bum and scooting. Your poor kitty needs to be take to the vet to likely have an enema placed to relieve the impacted feces right away. I would recommend taking kitty in to your local vet by tomorrow at the latest. I would caution against using over the counter enema's because most contain phosphate, and this component is toxic in cats. I would agree that intestinal parasites are still a possibility here, but obstipation would be my first concern. Your vet can easily distinguish which one is the cause of your cats current state by just feeling her belly and doing a rectal exam. I hope your kitty gets better soon!

A bloated belly in a kitten is usually suspicious of a high worm problem, but there are other possibilities. If she has a thin layer of muscle in her belly, then this can cause it to appear bloated. It can also happen with liver, spleen and other organ enlargement; and also if their is excessive fluid in the abdominal cavity. Considering there are many possibilities, it's best to have Astrid evaluated by a veterinarian. They may suggest an x-ray, or ultrasound to find the cause of this. I hope that helps and all is well with Astrid.

I would recommend taking Toby to another veterinarian if you are not comfortable with your veterinarian's diagnosis and treatment. If the stuff that is stuck to his anus looks like little bits of rice it could be tapeworms. Only certain dewormers will help with these worms. So it depends on what dewormer was given to say if it worked or not. Also tapeworms are caused by them eating fleas at some point. I would talk with friends and neighbors to see what veterinarians in your area people recommend. I hope Toby feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!