Question about cats and worms

[Frenchy]

I found a tiny white worm (smaller than a grain of rice) yesterday on Paddington's fur near his bum. I called my vet this morning but could only talk to one of the younger vet techs. She told me live worms don't just come out of their bums , parasites don't look like the worm I described to her. Said it must be a wound that got infected (told me a fly could have "dropped" eggs in the wound ) either on Paddy or any of my other fuzzbutts and that the worm could have ended up there.

I came home tonight to find another one, on his fur and again , near his bum. I inspected poop , but with all the litter stuck to it , and the worms I saw are so tiny , very hard to tell. Sorry for the TMI

I'm pretty sure he needs a dewormer , what do you guys think ?

[shredy]

I guess I would save the worm and take a fecal sample to the vet if possible. What the tech is talking about are maggots, that is what happens when wounds are infected. Maggots eat dead tissue (they actually help heal chronic wounds in people ). I am not sure she would be able to tell what the worm was without seeing it and I'm sure you would know if any of your fur kids had a wound with maggots on it! Does Paddy go outside? Could he be picking it up off vegetation? If not I would take a sample in for exam with the worm. If my memory serves, you can have worms exit the rectum as they mature...Hope everything is ok, and you can't gross me out, I see much worse on a daily basis at work...

[Winston]

Frenchy! that sounds like a tapeworm....When my boy Bomber had them they looked like little sesame seeds in the butt area...The vet explained to me that that is the worm coming out and it breaks off in segments...I dont think a standard dewormer will work. At least thats what my vet said..I had to bring him in for a needle...I also had to give one to Tabitha to be sure. I cant remember for sure but I think she said they get it from eating an flea that is carrying the virus??

My vet thought I was crazy because I wanted to leave Bomber there until it was over because I thought I was going to see all these worms coming out of him and I would go crazy!! So she laughed and said the needle kills it inside them and is expelled through his stools and I wouldnt even notice....which was true....the other thing was that Bomber although he was a kitten he was always wanting food and eating...the vet said it was the tapeworm giving him tha appetite...

Have you noticed that in Paddington?

Cindy

[Frenchy]

Oh I forgot to mention , he's an inside cat only. He did went out on his harness but that was weeks ago and I was right there with him , only stayed about 15 minutes. I did mention to the vet tech this was not a maggot , it's smaller , very tiny. If he wasn't a black cat, I don't think I would have seen it !

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Winston

the vet said it was the tapeworm giving him tha appetite...

Have you noticed that in Paddington?

Cindy

I haven't seen a change on his appetite , he always leaves some in his bowl. But it does look like sesame seed , I will call another vet tomorrow (mine is close)

So both cats would need an injection ?

[Frenchy]

Oh and about the flea thing ... I think it could be from the mouse that got in my home 2-3 weeks ago.

[shredy]

Unfortunately, depending on what kind of worm it is, all your furkids may need to be treated... Cindy is right, they get tapeworms from eating fleas. It coul d be that or it could be roundworms too, but it sounds like ttapeworms. It is hard to say without seeing the actual worm but I would get a fecal test done...

from a website I found describing tiny white cucumber seeds that wiggle..

"Most likely, you were seeing were tapeworm segments, which normally appear as small flat segments within the stool or as flat segments adhered to hairs near a cat’s rectal area. The entire tapeworm is actually a long chain of flat seed-like segments with a tiny head that attaches itself to the intestinal wall. Segments will drop off individually or in groups and can appear in the bowel movements or attached to the hair that surround the rectum."

[Winston]

Frenchy..found this website with some info onit...About the needle I paid for it says on this site that you can buy the tablets now without a prescription from a vet...you just have to make sure you get the right one..

http://www.myhealthycat.com/tapeworm.html

Cindy

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Winston

http://www.myhealthycat.com/tapeworm.html

Cindy

Thanks ! I will get to the vet tomorrow , hope I don't have to bring both cats , I was suppose to stay home while I'm having heating oil deliver , didn't want Nelly to freak out so I asked them to come tomorrow.... geez , just what I needed I will also inspect everyone for fleas. Thanks so much for the infos.

[Winston]

I was thinking if your vet offers a needle it may be easier than trying to pill Paddington....If he was outside he may have just eaten it?? You may not have fleas...I never did...they had eaten before I adopted them and it festered from there...
By the way Nelly looks great! Her pictures at the doggy party were great! You have beautiful girl there!

Cindy

[Frenchy]

The mouse was inside the house and he was playing with it I had to kill it myself. But , maybe he got another one in the daytime while I'm at work and ate that one I did find grey fur in the poop , but Monsieur le chat has the same fur colour so I wasn't sure if it was a furball.

Thanks for the compliment about Nelly , she has come a long way , she's a great girl

[TeriM]

I think you are right about the mouse Frenchy. Skryker had that same problem with her furries after a mouse.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by TeriM

I think you are right about the mouse Frenchy. Skryker had that same problem with her furries after a mouse.

I don't remember , was it with the dogs ? Or the cat (I think she only had one cat ?)

[TeriM]

I think her cat got a mouse, then the cat got fleas from the mouse and passed them to the dogs, and then I think the dogs ended up with worms? But I'm not really sure .

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Winston

the tablets now without a prescription from a vet...you just have to make sure you get the right one..

I'm so mad ! I called 2 vets this morning , they don't want to sell me any dewormer without a consultation. Was already pissed about this when I called the second one , I told the girl to give me a break , she said nope , IT'S THE LAW !!!

So let me get this right , I can't buy a dewormer without bringing my cat , that's against the law , but I can tie a couple dogs outside in the cold weather in my yard and breed them as much as I want and don't get them any vet care and just give them a minimum of food , sell the puppies over the internet and ask a fortune for them saying they're pure bred , that's ok , I am allowed to do this here in Quebec. It is not against any laws. But god forbid I would buy a dewormer without getting the cat to a vet



So I will wait next week , if I have to get my cat to a vet , it will be to my regular vet.

[krdahmer]

That is tapeworm IMO. Smoke had exactly the same thing, out of the blue a little rice like worm hanging off her butt, (she was losing weight too) described it to the vet and she didn't even think about it, just said yep, tapeworm come pick up the pills. One treatment and we haven't had a problem since. (It was a flea we believe from one of the fosters we had at the time, but she did say they also pick them up from mousies.)

Sorry to hear that vet was unhelpful. And ya those laws are a little arse backwards aren't they.