If a cat eats one of these intermediate hosts, the roundworm can complete its life cycle. In these hosts, the roundworm eggs do not mature into adults but are just transported. These eggs may come from the feces of infected cats or from the tissues of an accidental host. The roundworm larvae are present in the mother's mammary glands and pass to her kittens in her milk during nursing.īoth kittens and adult cats may become infected by swallowing eggs that contain infective roundworm larvae. Trans-mammary (milk-borne) infection is the major route of roundworm transmission in kittens. "Roundworms are not particularly harmful to adult cats, but large numbers may cause life-threatening problems in kittens and debilitated older cats." How do cats get roundworms? You may notice adult roundworms in your cat’s stool or vomit. In both kittens and adult cats with small numbers of worms, there may be no clinical signs of infection. In kittens, common clinical signs include a pot-bellied appearance, abdominal discomfort, depressed appetite, dull coat, vomiting, diarrhea, or poor growth. Roundworms are not particularly harmful to adult cats, but large numbers may cause life-threatening problems in kittens and debilitated older cats. What are the clinical signs of roundworm infection? Roundworms are also known as ascarids and the disease they cause is called ascariasis. Instead, they swim freely within the intestine. They do not attach to the wall of the intestine, as some intestinal parasites do. As their name implies, these are large-bodied round worms, averaging three to six inches (8-15 cm) in length. Almost all cats will become infected with roundworms at some point in their life, most often as kittens. They can be an important cause of illness, even death, in kittens. Roundworms are one of the most common intestinal parasites of the cat.
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