Consuming a prey animal (usually rodent) that is carrying developing worms.Nursing from an infected mother cat that was herself infected in late pregnancy (most kittens are infected this way).Consuming infective worm eggs from soil in the environment (generally through normal grooming).In cats, there are three ways by which infection with Toxocara canis occurs: A classical source of infection is a child's outdoor sandbox, in which outdoor cats may defecate. It is important to minimize the contamination of environmental soil with the feces of infected animals so as to reduce the exposure hazard to both humans and other animals. It should also be noted that human infection by this parasite is especially serious (see below). The worms consume the host’s food and can lead to unthriftiness and a classical “pot-bellied” appearance. Very heavy infections can lead to pneumonia as the worms migrate and, if there are enough worms, the intestine can actually become obstructed. Sometimes the worms themselves are vomited up which can be alarming as they can be quite large with females reaching lengths of up to seven inches. Roundworm infection can have numerous negative effects. It is a common cause of diarrhea in young animals and can cause vomiting as well. We will present the Toxocara cati information first followed by information for Toxascaris leonina. You will most likely never know they are present unless tests are conducted. There is overlap in treatment protocols with some dewormers but not with others.Įven though roundworms are occasionally passed or vomited up, most of the time these worms are unseen in the cat's intestinal tract do not expect to see any sign of them in the litter box or in fecal material.
Toxocara cati is generally felt to be more harmful to cats but Toxascaris leonina is able to infect both dogs and cats alike so it is helpful to distinguish their eggs under the microscope so as to know which medications to use and which additional pets are at risk. There are two species of roundworms affecting cats and kittens: Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina.
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