My cat is sick with worms, vomiting, and coughing. Can I deworm her?

It is rare for worms to kill a cat unless they cause a full obstruction of the bowel with severe, persistent vomiting or extreme weight loss. It would be important to deworm her within the next 48hours and to schedule an emergency vet assessment if she becomes weak

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Meu needs to see a veterinarian asap. She has multiple issues that can be making her sick and could potentially be fatal. Falls can often cause internal injuries, broken jaws/ribs or broken teeth. All of which can be painful and potential fatal if there was any organ damage. Meu also needs to be checked and treated for parasites. Cats that have not been spayed are also at risk of pyometra or a life threatening uterine infection. It is impossible to know what is causing her signs of illness without an exam and possible diagnostic testing. I hope Meu is feeling better soon.

If she hasn’t had a broad spectrum deworming done , then I would request that. There is a parasite called Physaloptera that causes vomiting in cats and is very hard to diagnose, so I usually do a trial of the dewormer to see if it resolve. Also a chest X-ray to make she she isn’t coughing from feline asthma. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Frodo! Some cats do vomit during deworming due to the strength of the medication combined with the parasites moving through the GI system. These side effects should only last a few days, so if it's been longer than that, I would be concerned that it could be due to something else, such as a GI illness, a foreign body, or pancreatitis. I recommend withholding food for 12 hours, then feeding a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

Vet clinics are still open on an emergency basis, and this is an emergency. A dropper of water isn't nearly enough to prevent dehydration in a cat that is not eating or drinking. Vomiting up worms means there are tons of worms inside, and there could even be lung worms. From the picture, there looks to be flea dirt on Prince's skin, which could mean he is anemic.

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!

Thank toy for submitting your question regarding Dusty. I would contact her veterinarian in the morning to let them know of the vomiting. It is likely due to the deworming medication. It can sometimes cause vomiting as the parasites are being killed. They may send her home with an anti-nausea medication if this is the case. This medication can typically given as an injection by the veterinarian and then tablets to continue at home. I hope this information helps!