Help, kitten has worms

I bought some over-the-counter worm medicine, the kind you can only give once, and my little "boy" is only 2mos old. He sleeps A LOT now, but still maintains a bit of his playfullness. I've only "seen" three worms, and they are not even an inch in size, and white. He eats all the time, drinks plenty, and like I said, he is still playful, but I've noticed (I had surgery Thursday, and I can't take him to vet yet) he is sleeping a bit more than usual, BUT on the other hand, I do work 8 hrs a day and go to school and I am not here during the day. Having said that, what do I do? Is that medicine suffice to kill off the worms? Do I need to take him and let him stay overnight at the vets until it's cleared up? Is it ok to let him interact with me and other family members, and our chihuahua, and is it OK to let him sleep in my bed (sanitary?). I notice the worm(hence, only one) comes out ASAP after he eats. I can't do too much since I'm only 4days post op, but I need sound advice here. Thanks! B

Have a friend take you and kitty to the vet! At least call the vet. He shouldn't have to stay overnight, just a basic treatment should do the trick. Remember kitties need 20 hours sleep/day.

Get kitty to a vet ASAP! Over the counter dewormers are 1) not effective in destroying all types of worms, and 2) can even be DANGEROUS to your little sweetie! Take it from someone who knows (I have 7 cats, one of whom was recently treated for Roundworm infestation - she had been abandoned outdoors by her previous owners but is now STRICTLY indoors!). My cat, "Baby", threw up one day - "just a hairball", I thought, only hearing the actual vomiting. Then when I went to clean it up - OMG! Four of the most disgusting looking, 2-3 inches long, spaghetti-like worms were actually reaching up out of her vomit, nearly causing me to lose my own lunch! I immediately went to the net and began surfing for info on worm infestation in cats (I would have taken her to the vet right away, but we were transitioning from one vet's office to another). That's when I discovered the dangers of OTC dewormers. I called our new vet the next day, told them her symptoms, described the worms, and they put her on Drontal, a broad-spectrum dewormer used to remove tapeworms, hookworms and large roundworms in cats and kittens. Dosage is based on your cat's weight. She got the initial dose (1 1/2 tabs for my cat, who at the time weighed between 11 and 13 lbs), to kill the adult worms, then a 2nd dose three weeks later in case the adults had laid eggs (they hatch every three weeks!). I'm happy to say now that "Baby" is worm-free and now weighs 15 lbs! So even if your kitty is only occasionally showing symptoms, such as vomiting or worms in the stool, the worms can still be robbing him of nutrition. So my advice is to get your kitty to the vet as soon as you can. ASK ABOUT DRONTAL (WONDERFUL stuff!!!!). Do NOT continue with the over-the-counter meds! They can be soooooo dangerous, ineffective, and a waste of money. I paid a total of $25 for "Baby"'s deworming treatment and I don't regret the investment a bit! If you can't take your kitty to the vet yourself, have someone else do it. OR a simple phone call may suffice, as it did in my case. I simply gave them a list of symptoms, described the worms, and they had me come pick up the medicine! Either way, both you and your kitty will be much better off in the end with meds from your vet. Good luck!!! Please keep us posted!!! Amy

I FINALLY took my baby today to the vet. He's staying overnight (per my request) so I can get rid of the eggs and fleas in my own home now! Ewww I can barely manage to sleep good at night knowing that is in my floors, beds, etc. Anyway, he's getting the best treatment and shots, and flea shot, rabies, etc... He's in good hands now Beth -35

So glad to hear you got your baby to the vet!! You're right - he's in good hands now (though no one's hands beat "mom's") I can relate to the housecleaning part. I swear, I must have hosed this place down with Lysol, washed every piece of linen that "Baby" could have come into contact with, etc. And I didn't just use the vacuum attachment tools on my vacuum to vac our sofa - I picked up the entire vacuum and used it on the sofa as if it were the carpet! They (vets) say vacuuming after flea/worm infestation is the best course of action, then promptly throw out the vacuum bag (if you're like me and still use the type that require bags). But a nice hosing of Lysol sure won't hurt!! Anyhoo, thanks for the update. Glad kitty is getting good treatment! Take care of him and yourself, too!!!! Amy

Advantage or Revolution will help keep fleas away. I dont recommend the cheap stuff, sometimes it has ingredients that cats are allergic to. The tapeworms your cat had are common, but preventable. Pets get them by accidently swallowing fleas infested with tapeowrm eggs. What you actually saw was a segment of the worm. That is the part that contains eggs the flea larvae eat, therefore becoming infested. By killing the fleas before you pet has a chance to eat them, you lessen the chance of your cat getting them again. Both Advantage and Revolution can be purchased at petstores now, and both work great. My cats are indoor only, and I only had to use it once every couple months to keep fleas away. Now I have to use it every month because I have dogs now that go to the dog park and bring little unwanted friends home. They also make otc tapeworm meds, but they are mostly found at feed stores. Good luck with it.

Frontline is also a good one. I just couldn't remember its name in my earlier post. I have used all three, and it doesnt make any of my cats sick. The worst thing I ever had happen was one of my cats licked it off of another and started foaming at the mouth. I just washed it out and he was fine.