You will not have any signs for quite a long time. Cats are good at hiding when they have a problem, so they may become quite ill before they ever give you a real indication of a problem. Some subtle signs could be that cats are less interactive. They may have a hunched appearance when they're sitting like they're not 100% comfortable. Vomiting or diarrhea can be an issue. But really, the best way to do this is to figure it out before it becomes a problem. We're huge on preventative care here at Freeport Vet, so we want to find this before it causes your cat problems. And that's why we recommend regular stool sample checks as well as regular deworming.

They can be sometimes. It typically takes a while for worms to become visible because you'd have to have enough that they're starting to kind of run out of room and need to pass through. Roundworms tend to look more like spaghetti. Hookworms look like short little rice noodles, so they're very thin. Both of them are white. In the case of tapeworms, we primarily only see the egg sacs come out, which are these little segments that look like small pieces of rice. You may find dried worms on your cats around their anus or their fur or even in the litter box. But you may not ever see an issue, and that's why regular stool sample checks are essential.

They can be. One or two worms may never cause an obvious issue, but as the worms reproduce and attach onto the intestinal lining, that can be painful. Worms can cause ulcerations, bleeding, bloating, and those sorts of things. It can, over time, cause a lot of discomfort.

There are several different ways your cat can get worms, depending on the type of worm. Roundworms and hookworms are ubiquitous in the environment. You can find them pretty much anywhere. They're very hardy, so their eggs can last a very long time in the environment. You can get exposed simply by walking around or having exposure to dirt that may come in on your shoes as a potential area. Hunting can put your cat at risk because if they eat a mouse or some other creature infected with these parasites, they could also become infected. And then, with kittens, we can see the transmission of roundworms and hookworms through the placenta and the milk. Regular deworming of kittens is essential. And then we have tapeworms, which are a slightly different group. Cats get tapeworms or the most common tapeworm that we see, through ingestion of a flea. For example, if your cat has fleas and then is grooming and eats a flea accidentally, they could become infected with tapeworms that way.

Intestinal parasites are anything that is living in the intestines of your cats or other animals that are not supposed to be there. Our intestines have a lot of what we call commensal bacteria, meaning bacteria that live with us, don't do us harm and help us digest our food. A parasite would be in the intestines or in the intestinal tract that is causing harm to its host and, in this case, our kitty cat.