My cat has worms after giving birth. Can her kittens get them?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Do not allow yourself or your daughter to handle Minnie's stool. That is the only way you both could contract worms. You would have to get the cats stool in your mouth. The kitten and a stool sample need to go to the Vet this week. They can deworm her, start her kitten vaccines and provide you with a schedule on when to come back. Also since you are pregnant you shouldn't be handling cat stool due to toxoplasmosis risks. Good luck

Cats get tapeworms by eating fleas so you need to get the flea problem under control or she will continue to get tapeworms. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/tapeworms-of-cats/ ) You can use this dewormer. I suggest you give a dose now and repeat it in 3 weeks. It is safe for nursing moms. If you need to treat the kittens they have to be at least 6 weeks old. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/bayer-tapeworm-dewormer-tablets-for-cats )

All kittens have worms. Get some kitten wormer today and worm them. Tell your children to wash their hands after handling the kittens and they should be fine. It only takes a few hours to get rid of the worms. However you will need to worm them again on about two weeks to kill the worms that have hatched from eggs present. If your children are very young and not able to comprehend that they will have to wash their hands, then it may be a good idea to separate them from the kittens for the next 2-3 weeks until the kittens have had their two doses of wormer.

Kittens should be dewormed with a liquid deworming solution licensed for treatment of kittens from 2 weeks of age; it is important to weigh each kitten and measure the dosage accurately. Intestinal worms can cause failure to thrive, damage to bowel wall and intestinal obstructions if not treated. IT is recommended to treat the mother with a treatment licensed for use in lactating queens 24hours after the kittens as she will likely ingest the worms passed by the kittens

I usually do not recommend using Praziquantel in lactating mother cats, Pyrantel Pamoate is usually fine and they can be dewormed from around 4 weeks of age. flea treatment can be given as soon as 2 days of age-- the ONLY safe product is Frontline spray.

Thanks for posting the question. Tapeworms are very common in hunting cats, and usually don't cause significant disease. If they were all fathered by the same male they may have had either a congenital (birth defect) problem or even an infectious disease like feline leukemia. I'm so sorry for all the loss you have had. I hope these mamas continue to be healthy!

Many deworming products are not recommended once pregnancy is established. Tapeworm medications, in particular, can be quite toxic. If you are concerned that your cat has parasites, I recommend that you take a fecal sample to your veterinarian for examination. Your vet can identify the eggs of any parasites your cat may have using a test called a fecal float exam. S/he can then prescribe the safest, most effective dewormer to use in a pregnant cat for that particular parasite.