Spooky Has Worms

Spookyandsammy

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Help what should I do I don't have any money to treat it and idk what to do how do I kill them and I'm a I bad person she eats people food I caused this
 
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Spookyandsammy

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Sammy might get them too from her should I let her go in the same box I did disinfect it this morning with soap and water and can it be passed to humans too it looked like a small work I don't know
 

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Do you know what kind of worms they are? Are they in vomit, poop or hanging off the anus in little pieces? I know it's gross. Worms are pretty common though. Does the cat also have fleas? Some are passable to humans but might involve ingestion. So if you are good about washing your hands and keep the litters clean you could be fine.

Worms would rarely come from human food scraps but are very likely to come from fleas or having access to the outdoors.

Blame and guilt are not useful emotions. If you are trying to solve a problem focus on the solution and do not dwell in regret if you can help it. Carrying on and thinking of the next step is the best thing for you and the cat.
 

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If they look like sesame seeds where the cat is/has been sitting, they are tape worms. Very easy to treat. Buy a de-wormer at local Petsmart/Petco. 1 tab usually does the trick. I put the pill in a Greenie pill pocket... she ate it no problem. Don't forget to change out all the litter and vacuum the house thoroughly if you have rugs.
 

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Sammy might get them too from her should I let her go in the same box I did disinfect it this morning with soap and water and can it be passed to humans too it looked like a small work I don't know
If they are tapeworms, the only way it can be passed to humans is if you eat them. Ringworm can be passed through simple contact.
 

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Ringworm is actually a little bit airborne. Fungal spores are ejected into the air. It's hard to irradicate; however, it's super common. Just walking indoors from outdoors can introduce ringworm spores into the home. Anyone (cat, dog, human whatever) with a mature immune system pretty much fights it off without any problem or notice.

Kids frequently get ringworm and immune-compromised individuals too. But it's endemic to the environment.

Depending on your area another thing to keep in mind is that this year is really bad for parasites. At least in the US last year's winter was mild and spring came early. So parasites and allergies are worse than average this year.
 
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Spookyandsammy

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Shes in my room all day can human food give cats worms like I'm freaking out should I let her sleep with me I'm making a appointment with the vet I still cant figure out how she got it and every time I change or scoop her litter I run and wash my hands
 
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Spookyandsammy

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Ringworm is actually a little bit airborne. Fungal spores are ejected into the air. It's hard to irradicate; however, it's super common. Just walking indoors from outdoors can introduce ringworm spores into the home. Anyone (cat, dog, human whatever) with a mature immune system pretty much fights it off without any problem or notice.

Kids frequently get ringworm and immune-compromised individuals too. But it's endemic to the environment.

Depending on your area another thing to keep in mind is that this year is really bad for parasites. At least in the US last year's winter was mild and spring came early. So parasites and allergies are worse than average this year.
Omg please don't tell me that I'm scared rn
 
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Spookyandsammy

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And I'm gonna go to petsmart and buy some tmrw I used hot water and soap what else should I do use bleach
 

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You can make a mixture of regular bleach (non-scented and not the splashless kind) and water. I genuinely forget the ratio. I'm sure someone else will chime in later. I eyeball it and have been doing so for years. It's like a capful to a standard spray bottle. It's much less bleach than you'd expect to need.

Mix it in a spray bottle and spray the litter box after you've scrubbed with soap and water, spray the dilute bleach solution and let air dry. Some parasites that pass eggs through feces will just be killed with this method. If you scoop the poop every other day you can halt the lifecycle. This also works with some non-parasitic symptom causing organisms ie. bacterial.

If you can get an image of the parasite and know what you are dealing with you will be better prepared by understanding the lifecycle of the pest and treating the cause. If you can- use some chopsticks or plastic cutlery to scoop the worm into a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel and show it to the vet so they can identify it.

It's pretty rare for parasites to pass from cat to human due to peoples' standard of hygiene but it is possible. All of it is treatable however. In decades of working with cats brought in from the streets we just assume they are worm-loaded and treat. I've never personally gotten anything working with wild birds and wild cats and reptiles.

Just wash your hands before you eat or touch your mouth and take care of the problem.

Ringworm is a whole other story but I wouldn't expect that to be what has caused you to write here. Ringworm appears as bald patches, circular rashes/ raw patches etc. on the skin of a cat- frequently on the head- the nose or behind the ears or high on the haunches where cats cannot reach. It's a fungus and can go away on it's own without treatment rarely causing any reaction in adult humans. It takes some time to go away but it's absolutely nothing to panic over and in an otherwise healthy cat it's not dangerous.

Please focus on identification and start looking for affordable vet care. Check with mobile vets. You could also get in contact with some local rescue groups if you need low-cost options near you. That route might take time as volunteer organizations are understaffed but in a few weeks you might get some help.

Don't give up and don't panic. I'm pretty certain that this is totally manageable. The big issue in my mind is if the cat is indoor/ outdoor where it might need preventative topical treatment on a monthly basis or if it has fleas where it would also need monthly treatment.
 

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Human food doesn't cause worms unless it's raw meat that is already infected which is not possible given that meat here in the US goes through stringent quality control.

If you can get to Nashoba, the MSPCA has a low cost vet clinic there but you must meet the eligibility requirements : Angell at Nashoba • MSPCA-Angell

Call around to every vet in your area and ask for general exam costs and payment plans. If there's a Petsmart store with a Banfield vet hospital, there's a free first exam for new clients. Medicines, deworming, etc cost extra.

It may be hard to do, but start putting money aside to have on hand to use for vet care. A few dollars every week adds up over time. Take a look at your expenses and see what you can go without for awhile.

Identifying the worm is important so your cat gets the proper treatment.
 
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Spookyandsammy

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I just bleached everything it's in the container she uses and I put hot water in it
 
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Spookyandsammy

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It was white and I didn't pull on it its tied up in a bag it looked like rice but I may be wrong I'll look again if you want Tmi I can take a pic the stool
I feel bad
 
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Spookyandsammy

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Shes a indoor cat shes in my room 24/7 now that she has worms she needs to stay in my room she doesn't want sammy or spooky together I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna do this because spooky used her box and sammy used spookys box so now they prob both have it so double the dewormer
 
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Spookyandsammy

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Spooky is using a cardboard box as a litter box for now until I can rinse the bleach off I'm hoping bleach kills these things
 
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Spookyandsammy

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It looked flat I just fed her do I'm hoping she will poop
 

Diana Faye

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It's actually very common for cats to pick up worms, which they can get from fleas, eating infected mice/ birds, or just walking outside. As they go through their life cycle, eggs are passed through the feces so when your cat uses the litter box and licks its' paws, it ingests more eggs and starts the process again (and also passing it to other cats). While worms are very common, an infestation can weaken cats (particularly kittens) as they feed off the body's nutrients, and if severe enough can be life threatening. By the time you actually see them, it's probably safe to say that you have an infestation. It's also possible that a cat has more than 1 parasite in its body and the visual presence of worms is what alerts the pet owner.

Common worms and what to look for: tape worms are segmented, so when they come out (look in feces and around the anus), they will look like long grains of rice. Roundworm is very long and looks like spaghetti, and is also able to pass to humans. Hook worms and whip worms can be harder to spot, as they are small. Coccidia is a common protozoa that is microscopic and can only be seen under a microscope.

There are over the counter wormers, but personally, I am not a fan of self medicating when I am not sure about dosage or treatment. The best and safest course of action to treat a specific target is to go to a vet and provide them with a fresh stool sample. Otherwise, you can end up giving too little dosage, too much, or not eradicating a secondary parasite. I would also assume both cats have been exposed and have them both treated. Extra cleaning and sanitation of litter boxes helps to prevent further cross contamination but this is futile if the infestation isn't resolved. Flea prevention meds also help to prevent infection in the future.

Irving (RIP) got tapeworms from flea infestations several times, to the point of defecating a huge mess and once even vomiting a pile of gross. This was despite my best efforts to keep him free of fleas, as they became resistant to what I was using. Simon was found outside by a neighbor when he was 3 months old- he showed no obvious symptoms except soft stool. As a new cat, I took him straight to the vet with a stool sample just as a general thing, and it turned out that he had roundworms and coccidia. He was so badly infested that the vet was very concerned for him, but I would not have known on my own as he looked healthy and clean. He needed 2 doses of 2 different meds to solve the problem, and I never saw roundworms until he received his first treatment (a few stragglers at first, then vomited a pile after the 2nd follow up later on).

You're not a bad cat mom because your cat/s got worms. It literally happens to most if not all pet owners. It's also entirely manageable, assuming that you treat it right away. I know vets can be expensive, but routine care is going to save you and your cats a lot of stress and money in the long run. If they have not yet been to a vet for a routine checkup, now is the time to do so (both of them).
 

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Spooky is using a cardboard box as a litter box for now until I can rinse the bleach off I'm hoping bleach kills these things
Bleach is only going to kill the eggs that came out. The adult worms and larvae are still inside the cat. You need to treat the cats internally in order to kill them and get rid of them for good.
 

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Get the worm pills from Petsmart, do NOT let the cat near the bleach until it has dried. Bleach can kill cats if they eat it.

You do NOT have ringworm, you have tapeworms. get the worm pills from Petsmart for the cats.

If you do NOT eat the fleas you will not get tapeworm.
 
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Spookyandsammy

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I cried off her litter box with a towel and put the container it was in in the closet to dry so she doesn't lick it and I also bleached her bowls overnight too and put them the dishwasher to be washed to make sure her bowls get clean
 
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