How to tell if your cat has worms? What are the common symptoms?

I suggest you get Milo to your vet for an exam, fecal testing and deworming. If a cat is vomiting up worms then there is probably a bad infestation. If he has roundworms he could have other types of worms too. The infestation can be so bad that he could get an intestinal obstruction which is certainly life threatening. It is best to get him checked out ASAP. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

In general, the best way to tell if Salem has worms is to take a fecal sample to your veterinarian for analysis - intestinal parasite eggs are microscopic, so most of the time you won't be able to see anything just by looking. Certain types of worms, such as roundworms and tapeworms, can sometimes be seen in the stool - but if you're not seeing anything, this is not a reliable indicator that your pet doesn't have worms. To get rid of worms, you will need to deworm Salem with a broad-spectrum dewormer labeled for cats. You can find dewormers at most pet stores that will cover some parasites, but you will need a prescription dewormer from your vet in order to treat tapeworms as these are not killed by over-the-counter dewormers.

It sounds like Eli might have tapeworms - these usually look like small rice granules and can be seen around the anus or on top of the stool. Tapeworms are usually spread through fleas and cannot go directly from one cat to another, so if your other cats are on flea preventative there may not be a concern. Roundworms are longer and look more like spaghetti inside the stool and can be transmitted through stool from cat to cat. I would recommend keeping Eli separated from the other cats with a separate litter box until you can see a veterinarian - you can bring a stool sample with you so they can determine what type of worms are present and prescribe medication to treat them. It's also fairly common for cats who were dewormed at the shelter to still have some intestinal parasites - it can take several doses of dewormer and not all deworming medications cover all parasites.

I suspect your cat may have tapeworms. The body segments of the worm contain the eggs and are passed in the feces. Fresh, moist segments are about 1/4 in long and capable of moving. Once dried, they resemble grains of rice or sesame seeds. Tapeworm segments can sometimes be found crawling in the fur around the anus of an infected cat. Treatment for tapeworms is a drug called praziquantal, which is available through your veterinarian. I suggest that you take your cat and a fresh fecal sample to your veterinarian for confirmation that your cat does indeed have tapeworms and not fly strike (maggots) which would be a much more serious condition.

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.

Worms! Roundworms or hookworms would be my guess, they look like vermicelli noodles. Tapeworms are also possible, they are flatter and often break off into small pieces. I would recommend that you have Violet examined by a vet and tested for intestinal parasites to make sure that she receives the correct medication.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Most intestinal parasites are passed fecal-orally (meaning the animal would have to eat infected stool) or from ingestion a mouse or a flea. Signs of intestinal parasites are weight loss, diarrhea and possibly vomiting or decreased appetite. The only way to diagnose worms to to physically see the adults or have a stool sample checked to see the eggs microscopically. Sometimes Vet will just treat for them, especially if they are suspicious or the cats go outdoors. You can always see if your Vet would treat with out a stool sample. I have never heard of any parasite causing excessive tearing. That is most commonly a viral upper respiratory tract infection or allergies. Sometimes cats just vomit. Other causes of vomiting are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, ate something gross, ate something that is stuck, pancreatitis, intestinal disease. I hope this helps!