Freaking out completely-OT

[Clysta]

Ok, I need help. We have 3 cats in our house, and just found out literally 5 minutes ago one of them has worms. (which likely means all of them do or will) The oldest has been going to the bathroom ALL over the house, and while we've tried to clean it up as fast as we can, we don't always get it. The part that concerns me is this.

Kylie crawls all over the house, and somehow manages to find it. Today I found her eating cat feces twice. I don't know HOW, I searched every part of the house and got it all. She didn't ingest much of anything, but the concerning part is that the only cat who does this is the one who has worms. The thing that concerns me even more is that the worms I saw match the description of tape worms. I'm trying really hard not to freak out, but I can't help it. I'm making her a doctor appointment for as soon as possible, but is there anything I should watch for now? Has anyone had problems with this themselves?

And I would also DEARLY love to get rid of these animals, but as of yet I'm unable to. I hope this changes soon.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Based on what you are describing, and what I saw with my kids last year.  I'm almost certain they are pin worms.  These are extremely common in animals and kids.  They can be gotten simply by playing in the dirt and biting your nails without washing because the eggs can live just about anywhere.  They have OTC pinworm meds for people but for Kylie it's best to go to a doc to get the right doseage. They may not treat her right away and wait to see if she gets them.  When my 2 older ones had them, Gabe was just over a year and, even though they treated everyone else in my family, they didn't treat Gabe. They said to wait and see if he gets them, which he didn't.  Definitely get some dewormer for those cats though..it's relatively cheap at walmart but get a combo one that targets different types of worms.  

The best way to see if someone has pinworms is to wait until night time.  You kind of have to sneak up on them.  When I found Abby had them she was complaining of her anus hurting and itching.  So I checked it one night and as soon as I spread her cheeks I saw something move, but it quickly went back inside.  You can also typically see them in the feces as well but sometimes they are inside it so you have to pick it apart.  Gross, I know.  

Were you able to get a doc appt for her?

[Ashelen]

I'm 90% sure that they don't, although I could be wrong. Tapeworm is a pain to get rid of and very very bad for the system...pinworm is no big deal and easy to get rid of, so I sure hope it's pinworms lol

[Clysta]

Ok, so tapeworm segments do NOT move? Cause I know these definitely did, because I was beyond grossed out that I saw one wiggling around.

[Ashelen]

sorry forgot to add--

whereas pinworms are all individual parasites, move on their own, and appear like entire worms with a head and a tail that are noticeably different under magnification.

[Ashelen]

That really sounds like pinworms....http:  //   www.    google    .cz/imgres?q=pinworm&hl=cs&biw=1280&bih=563&tbm=isch&tbnid=LOHOASkor9FlGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.healblog.net/pinworms/how-do-i-get-pinworm-relief/&docid=0BydPIhUdFywKM&w=432&h=347&ei=qY00TsadA8y9tgfkiKTuDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=370&vpy=94&dur=1107&hovh=130&hovw=162&tx=89&ty=130&page=1&tbnh=130&tbnw=162&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

tapeworms-http:   //   www.   google   .cz/imgres?q=tapeworm&hl=cs&biw=1280&bih=563&tbm=isch&tbnid=yZe_piYWJ0Z2YM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/wormstapewormphotos.htm&docid=i4EYOXBW6toINM&w=400&h=300&ei=9Y00Ttj3L4mDtgex-JHwDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=179&vpy=90&dur=1963&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=164&ty=103&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=177&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

- the segments broken off of a tapeworm are NOT alive and are usually uniform in appearance but of varying length often containing one small piece or several.


(take out the spaces)

[Clysta]

Ah. I wish I was able to describe it better. I know the ends were narrowed and the middle was a little thicker. It reminded me of just a regular earthworm, expect tiny, white, and without the lines.

I'm trying to remember....when one of our other cats had tapeworms we found it out because she left....residue whenever she sat. This hasn't happened in this case, they're just in the fecal matter.

[Ashelen]

No they're different...they're little individual worms, whereas tapeworm is just one long worm that breaks into segments of varying lengths as it grows and parts of it are expelled.

[Clysta]

Aren't pinworms just tapeworms? (As you can see, my knowledge of parasitic worms are next to none)

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Oh and one other thing.  I haven't read all comments so I don't know if I'm repeating anything but I would treat those cats ( all of them) NOW.  

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Hopefully they are just pin worms.  If they looked like little wiggling grains of rice, that's what they are.   Typically they like to treat ALL family members when pinworms are present since they spread so easy.  Treatment usually consists (for humans) of a dose of meds now then a dose in 2 weeks to account for any hatched eggs in the meantime.  Two of my kids had these last year.

[Ashelen]

ohhh well if they're VERY tiny they could be pinworms...even easier to get rid of and super super common.

[Clysta]

I completely missed a comment!! I'll try to answer, maybe it'll help. They're indoor only cats, and it's solid stools--nothing is loose. There were a lot of em, and I remember them being very tiny, and wiggling.

Oh lord, if I saw them when I change Kylie I'm going to lose it completely.

[Ashelen]

Sounds like round worms as someone mentioned...I worked as a vet tech for about a year and a half, and they're pretty easy to get rid of....they should show up in Kylie's poop, but you can also examine her rectum after she poops to see if they're visible...round worms will sometimes come "out for air" (gag, lol).

Personally - I don't care whose cats they are, the chronic pooping-pan-misser would be gone. Worms aside, that's just not healthy.

But all of that aside...You can most likely wait until monday. Worms do very little, on the whole, aside from cause bloating, mild stomach cramps, and they interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients from the intestines. The treatments are varied, and incredibly successful...it may be as simple as the doctor recommending you put her on garlic pills for a few days as a precautionary. As long as, like another lady mentioned, it's not Giardia or something serious causing the excessive pooping...she should be fine until monday. but at the first signs of extreme listlessness, nausea, vomiting, a sensitive tummy, excessive bloating or stomach distention, or diarrhea....to the ER!

Worms take a little while to "infest" so if it just recently happened she won't be FILLED with worms or anything, but if the eggs are in there even if no worms are visible she'll need treatment...so even if she seems fine and nothing appears in her poop you need to take her in on monday for sure.

[jtaylor102481]

it would all depend on wether or not how much she swallowed and such  and  i am not sure how long it would take to show up but if she is acting normal and nothing seems any different then it could wait until  monday .i wanna say it takes up to week to show up depending on the worm it is
BUt  unless she starts acting sick i would worry about it until monday when u  can call her dr

[marisol_jose]

Clysta- paying 35 is a lot better then paying 200 . I would say if she seems to be acting normal and has no sign something is wrong then I'd wait untill monday.

I'm not sure if it would show in her system already . Just keep an eye. Which I'm sure u r. Abd make sure she doesn't get a fever or anything. Keep us posted and goodluck

[Clysta]

Would it show up so fast though? I mean we only just found it yesterday night, and she did it yesterday afternoon. I just don't want to go so early they can't find or do anything.

And the ER we can't do. It's a $200 co-pay (versus the $35 I pay if I wait till Monday) and they're kinda...useless. She's acting normal and isn't sick or anything.

Lol, I really really think it's tapeworm the longer I look at it. I've seen images, and it's the exact same as what I found in hers.

[jtaylor102481]

I would keep the animals in one room or kennel and get them treated it soubds like round or hookworms most likely round worms.  try to get sample from the cat infected and go to clinic to gave the worm identified.  also I would take your lil girl to the dr ans tell them.  they can also do a stool sample from her to see if they are in her stool. they may want to treat her just in case. good luck

[Evie1029]

Michele has a great idea.  Until you know what parasites you're dealing with, you should isolate at least that particular  cat from the rest of the house.  The cat will be just fine in a kennel or enclosed room.  Once isolated, you could take a sample of it's feces to a local vet clinic.  They charge anywhere from $15-40 for a fecal float.  That will tell you exactly what you're dealing with.  That cat could have more than one thing, especially if it goes outdoors.  Is it solid poop or is it more like diarrhea?  Diarrhea can indicate it being Giardia which is transferable to humans.  

If you did take Kylie to the ER tonight as someone suggested, I'm not sure what theycould do other than bloodwork and check her for dehydration.

I hope I don't scare you anymore than you are already.  I'd totally be freaking out too if it were my baby girl.  Hopefully when you found her with the poop she hadn't actually ingested any of it.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

Oh Clysta, might also consider putting the cats in a kennel in the house.  May not sound nice to do to a cat since they do like to roam, but if they are going to be pooping all over your house and Kylie is going to find it and eat it (ewwww), I'd do it or ask the owners to take them back.

[marisol_jose]

This is just a theory but can u just take her to the ER instead of waiting for a doc appointment. I'm sure they can do something for her there. I hope she's ok.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I don't know much about this Clysta, but you may also want to post on the Cat Forum.  It's either a forum or a group but they have one on here.  

[Clysta]

They did. Or maybe they have a yellow colour to them. I can't stop worrying about it. Does anyone know how they are able to tell if humans have worms other than an Endoscopy?

[Dolphin05]

If the worms were white and looked like a piece. Of rice, yes your child can get them. I cant remember what they are called though but they do move. You can take the cat to the vet and the medicine to get rid of them is a shot and cost around $15. I would treat all the cats though just to be safe. I know they can get them from eating one single flea, so very easy for the animal to get.

[Clysta]

Ok so after rationalization, I know they're not tapeworm because they were moving. Tapeworm segments don't move, so I feel a little better. I am still however going to get her checked out.