Although all cats can have roundworms, kittens that are under 6 months of age are more commonly infected. Kittens usually are infected through nursing from an infected mother cat. Cats can also become infected by ingesting an infected rodent or ingesting feces or soil contaminated with roundworm eggs. Roundworms, although found in all states, are more widespread in the southeastern states.
The feline roundworm lives in the cat’s small intestinal tract and most infections are mild and do not produce any clinical signs. If a heavy worm burden is present diarrhea and a potbellied appearance may be present. The cat may also vomit worms, or the worms may be seen in the cat’s bowel movement. The worms themselves are long and white, having a spaghetti like appearance.
To diagnose roundworms your veterinarian will perform a fecal flotation and, if found, a dewormer will be given. Most infected cats will require more than one deworming, and futher fecal flotations are recommended once or twice a year. This is especially true if your cat is allowed to go outdoors. At home litterboxes should be cleaned daily and all feces removed from the yard as the infective eggs can remain in the environment for a number of years.
Appropriate personal hygiene should be carried out when dealing with roundworms because they are zoonotic in nature and can infect humans, especially children. Make sure to wash hands thoroughly after petting your cat or picking up any feces.
To help prevent roundworms a topical product such as Revolution should be applied every month. Revolution can be purchased from your veterinarian, who will determine the correct dosage according to your pet’s weight. Revolution comes in single dose application tubes and should be applied between the shoulder blades. You should part your cat’s hair so that the medication is applied directly to the skin and be sure to use all the medication in the tube. It is important to apply Revolution between the shoulder blades so that the cat cannot reach it to lick it off.