This is one of the reasons why it’s important to treat your cat for fleas as well as for worms. Immature fleas (larvae) ingest the worm eggs and infection is passed on to a dog when it swallows an infected flea. Tapeworms are transmitted to cats by fleas. Contact with slugs or snails (lungworm).Picking up worms or larvae from faeces whilst outside.Having fleas and swallowing them whilst grooming.Worms can be picked up in a variety of ways. Worms are very common in cats, with the most frequently seen intestinal types being roundworms and tapeworms. Symptoms of worms & common causes of worms Our guide contains expert advice from qualified and registered veterinary nurses to help you choose the best course of action for your pet and help answer your question – does my cat have worms and how do I prevent and treat them? Worms in cats and kittens are very common, and whilst they might be a concern to owners, they do not usually have serious consequences and are easy to treat. Roundworm infections are extremely common, and it is safe to assume that all kittens will be infected.Worms in Cats. This process causes no harm to the queen, but means that kittens are very commonly infected with roundworms from a very young age. From earlier infections with roundworms, a queen will have some larvae remaining dormant in certain tissues in the body and when she gives birth to a litter of kittens these larvae migrate to the mammary glands and are excreted in the milk. For Toxocara cati there is another important route of transmission to kittens, which is through the milk of the queen (mother). In addition, the eggs may be eaten by another animal (‘intermediate host’) such as a small rodent (for example a mouse or rat), and a cat can be infected by preying on (eating) the infected intermediate host. With both of these worms, eggs passed in the faeces can be ingested (eaten) by another cat leading to transmission of infection. The two most common species found are Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina. Roundworms are very common, particularly in young cats and kittens.

Flat white worms in cats