WORMING - CATS
Worm infections in UK cats are common and can be split into
roundworm or tapeworm diseases.
What Types Of Worm Infections Are
There?
There are two types of worm that commonly affect cats in the UK and
these are tapeworms and roundworms.
Roundworms
These are spaghetti-like in appearance and non-segmented. The most
common roundworm is Toxocara cati, affecting about half of all cats
less than 6 months of age. The adult worms live in the small intestine
and worm eggs are passed out in the faeces. Kittens can be infected
from their mothers blood supply before birth, as well or from
colostrums in the first few days of life.
Toxocara cati can also affect humans and potentially can cause
blindness in children.
Tapeworms
These worms are flat and segmented and can reach a metre in length.
Tapeworms need an intermediate host to re-infect another cat and these
can include fleas or mice, therefore it is important not only to kill
the worms but to use regular flea treatments as well.
What Are The Signs Of Worm
Infection?
Roundworm infections can cause vomiting and whole worms can be
regurgitated. Weight loss and diarrhoea are common and animals often
develop a pot-bellied appearance.
Tapeworm infection are often detected when mobile egg-filled segments
are shed in the cat’s faeces and can often be spotted on the cats fur
or near the bottom. A heavy infection can also cause vomiting and
weight loss
What Can We Do To Control Worm
Infections?
Given the widespread level of infection within the UK, the prevention
of worms is more or less impossible and instead drugs should be used
routinely to control their spread.
There are a wide number of products available to use and the
formulations available include tablets, in-feed powders, spot-ons and
injections.
Cats can be difficult to medicate and so the choice of wormer is often
governed by the drugs ease of use. Generally an all-in-one drug that
kills both round and tapeworms should be used 4-6 times per
year.
PANACUR GRANULES are tasteless, odourless granules that can be mixed
into cat food. The active ingredient, fenbendazole, is effective in
killing most of the tape- and roundworm types.
PANACUR PASTE containing fenbendazole can be given directly into the
cats` mouth.
DRONTAL CAT and DRONTAL CAT XL are tablets that contain a combination
of pyrantel embonate and praziquantel. These drugs together give
complete round- and tapeworm protection.
‘Droncit Spot-On’ and ‘Sronghold’ are spot-on preparations that can
treat and prevent infection with tape- and roundworms respectively and
STRONGHOLD also treats flea and ear mite infections also.
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