New Cat Mom Having Worms Panic

jesmb

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My kitten is 10.5 weeks old, and got her first round of dewormer on Nov. 4, which was the day we brought her home. No sign of worms in her stool since then, none around her bum, and no vomiting, until today. Today on two occasions she vomited up a single live worm, about 2 inches long each time. She's playing fine, eating fine, sleeping fine, no swollen belly, no worms in her stool still, and aside from peeing in her old litter box spot the past two days, you wouldn't know anything was wrong. She has an appointment Friday with they vet and they said not to worry/it isn't an emergency, but this is my first cat, first pet, first tiny thing I care for that has ever gotten sick, so of course I'm in "my poor baby what do I do" panic, and also slightly horrified at my first worms experience.
I have questions and I don't know where to find answers, so I was hoping you lovely people could help me. What can I do to make her more comfortable? Is waiting until Friday too long? Should I be giving her dry food or wet to make her belly less hospitable? She's been sleeping in my bed, should I wash my sheets? Her crate bedding? Anything else? HELP :(
 

toxicglowsticks

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I had the same thing happen the other day with our 10 week old kitten.

It is possible that she was dewormed during the time of the roundworm life-cycle where dewormer doesn’t quite work, which is why it’s recommended to do it every two weeks after the first dose. Almost all kittens have worms to some extent, so a day or two shouldn’t be alarming unless she shows more serious signs.

When I talked to my vet, he did say that throwing up worms is indicative of a pretty decent roundworm infestation, but it’s not uncommon. When you go Friday, make sure to ask for the 2nd and 3rd dose of deworming.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the next round of deworming yields a pretty decent amount of dead worms in the litter box. Just make sure to keep it clean in the mean time.

I would wash bedding though. Humans can get roundworm through contact of the eggs through ingestion. So it’s definitely a good idea.
 
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jesmb

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I had the same thing happen the other day with our 10 week old kitten.

It is possible that she was dewormed during the time of the roundworm life-cycle where dewormer doesn’t quite work, which is why it’s recommended to do it every two weeks after the first dose. Almost all kittens have worms to some extent, so a day or two shouldn’t be alarming unless she shows more serious signs.

When I talked to my vet, he did say that throwing up worms is indicative of a pretty decent roundworm infestation, but it’s not uncommon. When you go Friday, make sure to ask for the 2nd and 3rd dose of deworming.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the next round of deworming yields a pretty decent amount of dead worms in the litter box. Just make sure to keep it clean in the mean time.

I would wash bedding though. Humans can get roundworm through contact of the eggs through ingestion. So it’s definitely a good idea.
Thank you! I was thinking it was like fleas with the weird part of the cycle that they don't die, and she's completely unbothered so I'm definitely more upset than she is, lol. I'll just keep an eye out until then to see if anything changes.
 
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jesmb

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Just out of curiosity - kitty is 110% today, eating, playing, and no sign of worms since the two she vomited up Wednesday. Do you think it would be unwise to wait until tomorrow for her deworming? The vet will charge me $80, PetCo's vet clinic tomorrow will only charge $35 for both the deworming and her second round of vaccines.
 
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jesmb

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I think you can wait another day. She needs treatment, but 24 hours won't make a difference. Have you seen this article?

The 4 Most Common Worms That Can Make Your Cat Sick
Yes, thank you! It was definitely a roundworm. My boyfriend's family regularly takes in stray kittens to foster and adopt out so he knew right away, thankfully. I've also been obsessively searching the internet because I was slightly horrified, lol. But we've only seen the two she vomited on Wednesday night, and there's been no swollen belly, none in her litter box, no other signs or symptoms. It's very strange. I'm taking precautions and disinfecting the entire apartment just to be sure we knock it out.
 

toxicglowsticks

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I also agree you should be okay waiting for tomorrow. If you do one of those discount clinics, just make sure to get a print out of what they did so you can give it to your vet.

They forgot once for our feral-turned sweetheart kitten once and it was a nightmare trying to get the paperwork for our vet. Okay.. nightmare being a stretch. But it was a nuisance. :crackup:

Glad she hasn’t thrown up any since. Seeing that the first time I’ve ever seen a kitten throw them up was this past week as well.. it’s definitely mortifying/disgusting. Didn’t expect to see something move when I washed away puked up water.
 
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