How to Treat Hookworms in Cats

Hookworms are a parasite that can infect both dogs and cats. They are found more often and in higher numbers in dogs, however. If your cat does get hookworms, you should know that they will essentially be sucking the life out of your cat. The hookworms attach themselves inside your cat and take blood from them. This can cause extreme anemia and could eventually lead to death, depending on the number of hookworms in the cat's system. There are a few things that you can do to prevent your cat from getting hookworms, and also steps you can take to treat them once they have them.

Things You'll Need

• cat litter
• litter box
• rubber gloves
• medication from your vet

Instructions

1. Purchase heartworm medication for your cat. The best way to prevent hookworms from appearing inside your cat is to get them on a good heartworm medication that also covers hookworms. These aren't hard to find, and they are generally not much more expensive than the standard heart worm treatments. This will be a great way to prevent ever having to deal with any of these other steps.

2. Purchase a new litter box and maintain a clean litter box for your cat. Purchasing a new litter box for your cat will get rid of any parasites that could be lurking within the old litter box. Ensure that the cat's litter box cleans and emptied often. Many times, the feces of the cat is where the hookworms will appear. This is especially true if you have more than one cat. Hookworms can spread very quickly if the proper steps aren't taken to prevent spreading. If your cat doesn't use a litter box, then you will need to make sure that you clean your cat's feces as soon as possible.

3. Monitor and inspect your cat's feces. Wear rubber gloves while inspecting your cat's recent feces for blood- or worm-like parasites. If your cat starts to act sluggish or weak, check its feces. Hookworms will cause your cat's blood to thin, and it will often cause the stool to be slightly bloody as well. The stool could also be very dark. You may also notice that you cat's fur is more dull than usual in color and in shine.

4. See your vet. At this point, you have discovered that your cat may have hookworms and there is very little that you can do until you have a doctor examine your cat, verify the diagnosis and write a prescription. Chances are he/she will give you a prescription for either a cream or a pill that you will have to give to your cat. This will hopefully clear up the hookworm problem, and then you should work on finding out the source of the hookworms to prevent it from happening again.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't attempt to treat your cat with over-the-counter remedies until you have consulted with your veterinarian These may or may not work on your cat and can often come with some undesirable side effects, especially if your cat doesn't need the medication in the first place. Even if you are sure you know what you are dealing with, see your vet.