Cat owners: Are you worm wise?

While other illnesses and infestations, such as fleas, can be more outwardly obvious, even health-looking animals can carry worms. For this reason, it's an essential part of cat and kitten care to worm your feline friends regularly. Unfortunately, worms are as unpleasant a condition as they sound, causing suffering, illness and even death. In some cases, worms can even be spread between pets and people, causing diseases. How can cats pick up worms? There's a variety of ways your cat can pick up worms. As mentioned, they can be passed from other animals or even humans, or ingested by eating infected urine, grass, faeces and raw meat. Some fleas can also carry worms. How to detect infectionr It can be very difficult to tell your animal has got worms by simply reviewing their general health. Instead, you often have to dig a little deeper, and this can involve unpleasant things such as checking their faeces, vomit or around their bottom. If you do find any worms, don't throw them away. Instead, wrap them in damp cotton wool and take them to the vets – this will help them to identify the type that has infected your pet. Other signs can include weight loss, dry and coarse fur, increased appetite and stomach upsets. How to reduce your cat's risk of getting wormsr One of the first things to do after you buy a kitten is to start an effective worm control programme, as advised by your vet. All pets should be treated against roundworm regularly from a young age, while adult animals also need to be protected against tapeworms. And if your animal is pregnant, their worming must be overseen by a vet. Along with medical protection, there are things you can do around the home to reduce the risk of worms, including disinfecting your pet's water and food bowls, along with their housing. Make sure that the disinfectant you use is safe for animals. Also make sure you clear away any animal faeces or urine round the house carefully. Don't forget to protect yourself as a human – you must wash your hands before eating anything and ensure your children follow suit. Other things to think aboutr While getting your cat wormed at the vets, it's also a good idea to think about fleas at the same time. An infestation of these nasty critters can be just as irritating for animals and humans, so it's important to get your furry friends treated regularly, along with making sure your home is a flea-free zone.