Paranoid About Roundworms

[lilbil]

Hi there, I'm new here and looking for more information on how Roundworms are spread to people, as our 14 week old Kitten was just diagnosed with Roundworms (picking his medication up today). We haven't seen any worms in his feces and he eats like a champ. We keep the litterbox clean but I'm still a bit paranoid about getting worms. We got him from a family who captured him & his siblings as strays. How do I go about disinfecting the room he's been living in and making sure nobody contracts the worms?

(Sorry if this topic has already been covered feel free to point me in the right direction.)
Any stories/advise/article links are super helpful.
Thanks in advance, all.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! TCS has some articles about ringworms that might be helpful to you!

Ringworm In Cats: How To Win The Fight

Ringworm Infestation In Cats: The Housecleaning Regime

 

[lilbil]

I'll check them out, thanks!!

Hi! TCS has some articles about ringworms that might be helpful to you!

Ringworm In Cats: How To Win The Fight

Ringworm Infestation In Cats: The Housecleaning Regime

 

[susanm9006]

Round worms are different than ringworms I think. Roundworms live in the intestines and are treated with oral medication. Ringworms are on the skin and treated with baths.

Roundworms can get passed to people but not very easily. The medication kills them quickly but you could wear gloves to change the litterbox for a few weeks.

 

[silkenpaw]

Roundworms are not the same as ringworm. Ringworm is not a worm but a fungus that affects skin.

Anyway, I’m assuming that your cat has garden variety intestinal worms that are spread by what is delicately called “oral-fecal contact.” In other words, poop ingestion. In people this usually occurs by letting unwashed hands wonder into the mouth. But there are others that are spread in different ways, so the only way to know for sure is to ask the vet what specific worm your cat has and how it’s spread.

Washing your hands is always good policy. Good luck.

 

[amethyst]

Cats normally get roundworms from eating mice or from their mother as kittens. So long as you clean up and wash your hands after handling any puke or poop you should be safe. The dewormer kills them pretty quickly.

 

[lilbil]

Got it. He definitely has Roundworms (confirmed by a vet). I just figured that cleaning things in the room might be similar to how you'd clean with ring worm? I could be wrong on that though. We've been keeping our hands clean.

Thanks!

Roundworms are not the same as ringworm. Ringworm is not a worm but a fungus that affects skin.

Anyway, I’m assuming that your cat has garden variety intestinal worms that are spread by what is delicately called “oral-fecal contact.” In other words, poop ingestion. In people this usually occurs by letting unwashed hands wonder into the mouth. But there are others that are spread in different ways, so the only way to know for sure is to ask the vet what specific worm your cat has and how it’s spread.

Washing your hands is always good policy. Good luck.

 

[lilbil]

Got it. Thank you!!

Cats normally get roundworms from eating mice or from their mother as kittens. So long as you clean up and wash your hands after handling any puke or poop you should be safe. The dewormer kills them pretty quickly.

 

[lilbil]

Will try gloves. Thank you!

Round worms are different than ringworms I think. Roundworms live in the intestines and are treated with oral medication. Ringworms are on the skin and treated with baths.

Roundworms can get passed to people but not very easily. The medication kills them quickly but you could wear gloves to change the litterbox for a few weeks.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oops - sorry! How I read over the word 'roundworm' and went down the path of ringworm is above and beyond me. It looks very obvious today when re-reading this thread. I must have been having a glitch in brain function yesterday. Again, sorry.

 

[silkenpaw]

The risk of transmission of ringworm is much greater than roundworms. There are also many ways to catch ringworm, while there’s only one way to catch roundworms. Wear gloves if it makes you feel better but all you need is good and consistent handwashing. Good luck.