© Kirrawee Veterinary Hospital FELINE DISEASES
Feline Roundworms
The roundworms which effect cats are Toxocara cati and Toxascaris
leonia. They are large worms 3-5 cm in length that live in the
intestine. Adult female worms lay eggs which pass out in the cats
faeces. These eggs then become infective larvae which can survive
in the soil for many months. Cats become infected by eating or
licking material contaminated with the larva, or more commonly
by eating rodents, birds, and insects which have themselves become
infected. Most of the larvae migrate through the body to the intestine
where they grow to adult worms within a few weeks. Toxocara cati
larva also have the ability to enter the mammary glands of a pregnant
queen leading to infection of kittens either via the milk. For
this reason it should be assumed all kittens will become infected
with Toxocara cati. Adult cats generally show few signs when infected with roundworms,
however kittens can have a swollen abdomen, diarrhea, and vomiting
(sometimes with worms) from as early as 3 weeks of age. Severe
infections can completely block the intestine. Diagnosis of roundworms is by identifying the worm eggs from samples
of faeces using a microscope. A large range of effective worming
treatments are available. Kittens should be treated every two
weeks between 3 and 12 weeks of age. Adult cats are treated every
three months. Related sites |