Hookworms in Cats, Poop, Vomit, Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Home Remedies, Treatment & Prevention

It is common for hookworms can infest your cats. The common signs and symptoms of hookworms in cats include presence of hookworms in cats poop or vomit. You can identify hookworms using the illustrative pictures we have inserted in this post. Also, explore some of the best home remedies and treatments for hookworms in cats. Furthermore, learn the causes of hookworm in cats and how you can prevent them.

Hookworms in Cats Symptoms

Hookworms in cats are normally intestinal parasites which feed on the blood of your cat. The symptoms of an infection might vary from being subtle to overt, largely depending on your pet’s age and the number of hookworms in the cat’s body.

Symptoms of Hookworms in Kittens

• Because hookworms in cats may be transmitted during pregnancy or via a mother’s milk, puppies and the kittens may be infected with the hookworms from the first day.
• The first symptoms begin to show at about three weeks of age in your kitten, and it’s vital that you take an immediate action, otherwise the little worms may lead to your newborn pet some trouble.
• Hookworms in cats may lead to malabsorption, protein deficiencies and diarrhea. So aside from the symptoms, infected kittens will often be having stunted growth, less amount of energy, and lower weight. Additionally, affected kittens will have blood in stool, which appears in a dark reddish brown or black color.
• Watch out for the signs, as the infection may be fatal if you don’t take immediate action of taking the kitten to the vet.

Symptoms of Hookworms in Adult Cats

• If your cats become infected with hookworms later in their adult life, then there’s a chance that the parasite entered through the skin. Look for indications of pruritus; while these conditions may have several causes, hookworm dermatitis always appears on pads of paws and then disappears within a period of 5 days.
• After an infection through the skin or even ingestion of the worms, internal symptoms might appear after about 17 days. If your adult cat only has some hookworms, they might be having no symptoms. Still, if they’re harboring more of the worms, then they’ll indicate heavier symptoms.
• Hookworms in cats usually release an anticoagulant when digging into intestines, which can lead to anemia in some cats. This particular little worm also detaches and then reattached to a new area on cat’s intestine after every few hours.
• This means that your cat’s intestines might be bleeding in many spots and that their bodies might not clot blood as well. This leads to bloody or even black stool and diarrhea. Adult cats having larger numbers of hookworms might as well start to lose weight, become lethargic, and indicate greater dehydration.

Symptoms of Hookworms in Pregnant Cats

• While scientists aren’t sure if cats may pass hookworms to kittens in utero and via breast milk, it’s crucial that you screen any cat for worms before breeding.
• Hookworms may be dormant in your adult cat’s lungs, and a few may be in the intestines having no symptoms. Testing and treatment are straightforward, and the effects on an adorable litter of kittens may be devastating.

Hookworms in Cats Pictures (Images)

What do Hookworms in Cats look like? There are plenty of illustrative pictures of hookworms in cats that we have inserted in relevant sections on this post. The images will enable you identify hookworms in case your cats are infested with them.

What Causes Hookworms in Cats

There are several ways cats might become infected with hookworms and it is crucial to understand the life cycle of hookworms, which can be explained as below.

• Through the skin: Hookworm eggs are usually passed in cat’s stool. Depending on the conditions, within a period of about 5 days, the eggs hatch into larvae (which are immature worms), present in the moist environment of soil, and the vegetation.

When a cat comes into contact with such an environment that is infected with hookworm larvae, it can either become infected through ingestion of larvae or entry into the body by burrowing into skin.

• Through ingestion: Hookworm larvae may contaminate food and the water which the cat consumes.
• In utero: Worm eggs might also be passed on from mother to unborn puppies through the placenta. It hasn’t been established if it is true with feline hookworms although.
• Through the mother’s milk: Again, in cats, it is possible for hookworm infection to be passed to puppies through breast milk. When a cat is infected with hookworms most of them migrate to the small

But, some of them enter other tissues of the body, thus becoming dormant for several years. When the animal becomes pregnant, they then migrate to mammary glands and passed through milk.

Hookworms in Cats Poop (Feces)

Kittens are supposed to be treated for hookworms after every 2 weeks between 4 and 9 weeks of age, which is then followed by administration of monthly treatment. The frequent treatment schedule is because of the high rate of infection that are found in kittens.

A fecal examination is supposed to be conducted 4 times during the first year of life and 2 times per year in the adults. Nursing mothers are supposed to be treated along with their kittens.

Hookworms in Cats Vomit

Hookworms in cats may lead to several symptoms and it is not uncommon for the cats to vomit the worms. If you find worms in pet’s vomit, then you should get a clear diagnosis from the vet and then administer a given treatment.

Intestinal worms are not a fatal condition, but complications might arise and the cat is deprived of relevant nutrients for the period that the worms lodge in the intestine. Heartworms may be fatal.

Worms in Cat’s Vomit

The presence of worms in cat’s vomit is a clear indication that the animal has intestinal parasites. On very rare occasions, the worms might also come from lungs or even the heart. The hookworms in cats are contagious and may be caught from:

• Other felines which carry the larvae
• Infested feces and bodily secretions
• Mosquitoes (may also spread heartworms)
• If the cat ingests a flea which is carrying tapeworm eggs or even the larvae

The most common parasites that cause worms to be in cat’s vomit are roundworms. The roundworms, unlike hookworms, are very light in color might grow up to 8 cm in length and have the appearance of a spaghetti. The cat can vomit a segment of the worm.

The cat might also vomit smaller worms which are moving, and they can be hookworms, lungworms or even heartworms. These also have a white appearance.

Detect Worms

If you see hookworms in cat’s vomit, you might also observe a few other signs like:

• Worms in stool and diarrhea
• Lack of appetite and weight loss
• Coughing
• Swollen stomach
• Dry and dull skin
• General state of weakness

The vet may establish the type of worms that are affecting the cat by doing a stool analysis and a few blood tests. The culprit parasites might be hookworms, tapeworms, heartworms or whipworms.

Life Cycle of Hookworms in Cats

Hookworm eggs usually survive in warm, sandy soil. They live for only some weeks under natural conditions. But, if conditions are very suitable, they may hatch to become very active larvae as quickly 7 days. The eggs then die almost immediately on any exposure to sunlight.

Infection of the host is by larvae, not eggs, and the usual method of infection is through the skin. Once they are inside the host, they are then carried by the vascular system to lungs and from there, they migrate up the trachea and into the pharynx.

This normally leads to the host coughing, whereupon the larvae are swallowed and then pass down the esophagus so as to enter the digestive system.

They pass to the small intestine where they hook into mucosal lining. The larvae then start feeding on host’s blood and then develop into adult worms. The adult worms start to mate inside the host and then the female then lays up to about 25000 eggs per day which pass out in host’s feces.

Hookworms in cats are sometimes ingested. The disease is communicable to other cats between 4 weeks after an initial infection.

How to Get Rid of Hookworms in Cats

Hookworm infections are usually diagnosed frequently in dogs, but cats are not as susceptible to the hookworm infections. But if cats or even kittens can be infected with the intestinal parasites, prompt treatment is required.

Hookworms in cats can lead to a greater amount of the intestinal bleeding, and cats having hookworm infections are at a higher risk of developing anemia. Fortunately, there are several medications which might effectively treat hookworms in cats and the kittens.

Home Remedies for Hookworms in Cats

If your cat does not have an infestation of the worms and you are deworming your cat twice a year as a routine healthcare maintenance program – blockage because of passing worms should not be an issue.

If, however, you have not dewormed your cat or you know that she has an infestation of worms it is important to pay an additional care so as to ensure that your cat has enough amount of fiber and moisture in the system during the deworming period.

1.  Diatomaceous Earth (DE), Food Grade

DE may be given to cats of all the ages. DE is a white powder made from crushing fossilized marine life (diatoms, a type of algae), which leads to a fine abrasive powder which is non-toxic to cats and humans.

When the powder comes into contact with the parasites, DE’s razor-like edges abrade the parasites exterior – DE also dehydrates the parasite.

Benefits;

DE gets rid of the body of;

• Parasites like lice, fleas and worms (not heartworm)
• Harmful bacteria and viruses;
• Methyl Mercury
• Organophosphate pesticide residue
• Drug residues.

DE have a dehydrating effect, so make sure that you add Parsley Water and ensure your companion animal always has access to several fresh water.

Dosage for DE

• Kittens ½ tsp
• Cats – 1 tsp
• Medium cats (under 50 lbs.) – 2 tsp
• Large cats (50 to 100 lbs.) – 1 tbs

2.  Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlic ia used for the treatment and prevention of several types giardia because:

• Garlic is an effective immune system booster and is also in preventing and treating an infestation of the intestinal worms
• Garlic has also been indicated to be beneficial in the prevention of the parasite Giardia and hookworms in cats.
• In 2009, a scientific study was done in which Garlic was tested for Ivermectin, garlic was proved effective as an alternative treatment to the allopathic interventions like Ivermectin, which is a pesticide-based preventative.
• Garlic is an effective inhibitor against the Giardia.

How to Include Garlic in Your Dog’s Diet

• You may decide to give your cat garlic during the deworming period, or;
• You may add garlic to you’re the cat’s diet on daily basis;

Preparation

• Chop, crush or even press the garlic and then allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before giving garlic to your cat;
• This gives the garlic sufficient time to undergo the enzymic reaction that creates

Recommended Daily Dosage for Dogs

• 1 clove fresh garlic (or 1 tsp finely chopped) per every 40 lbs of body weight per day.

How to Include Garlic in Your Cat’s Diet

Cats are sensitive to the anemia that is induced by garlic than dogs. The safe dosage of garlic for the cat is not the same as dosage for dogs.

Dogs might have garlic in right dosage on daily basis, cats may only have the garlic 3 times a week. For this given reason garlic might not be used as a dewormer for cats as they do not safely ingest enough garlic to be an effective dewormer.

But cats may benefit from healthful properties of garlic.

The safe dosage for the cats (for general health) is a slice of a garlic clove added to the food to about 3 times a week.

Interactions, Cautions

If your cat is on a blood thinner:

• Consult your vet before giving your cat garlic.
• Garlic may slow down blood clotting –  garlic might increase the efficacy of blood thinner known as warfarin;
• The dosage of blood thinner would require being adjusted for an intake of garlic.

3. Grapefruit Seed

Grapefruit is used for treatment of various types of worms in cats The benefits of Grapefruit Seed Extract were first noted by physicist Harich in 1972 who observed the extract’s broad spectrum use as an antiviral remedy.

Grapefruit seeds have active ingredients which are anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and even more.

Grapefruit seed extract is indicated to be excellent for treating of the internal diseases brought about by bacteria, fungi, it is used on the skin to treat skin diseases, external injuries, and hookworms in cats.

• University of Georgia researchers found out that GSE is an effective antiviral and anti-parasitic agent for fighting several viral and bacterial infections, which includes E. coli;
• Additional findings indicate that GSE is a very effective treatment for:
• 900 bacterial and viral strains;
• 200 strains of fungi, and;
• A multitude of multi-celled parasites.

GSE is also an immune system booster. It has:

• Hesperidin, well known for its immune system benefits;
• Vitamin C, sterols and multiple additional antioxidants which boost the immune system’s ability to battle infections.

Grapefruit Seed Can be Administered Two Ways for Deworming

• Pulverized seeds may be used as an ingested treatment against hookworms in cats when sprinkled on top of food;
• Grapefruit seed extract drops may be mixed into food.

Dosage
1. Liquid GSE:

• Minimum dosage – 0.6 drops per kg (per every 2.4 lbs) of the body weight;
• Maximum dosage – 15 drops per every 15 lbs of body weight 2.5 times a day;

2. Pulverized GSE:

• 9 mg per every kg (per every 2.4 lbs) of the body weight.

4. Pumpkin Seed or Oil
   Pumpkin seeds oil provide:

• Antimicrobial support;
• Antioxidant;
• Are an anti-carcinogen, and;
• A dewormer.

Use the raw pumpkin seeds – certified organic raw is best.
Preparation

• Grind pumpkin seeds to a fine powder (you may use a mortar and pestle, a food processor, etc.);

Use

• Add ground pumpkin seeds to cat’s food once per day for about two weeks.
• As pumpkin seeds are very non-toxic to dog’s and have several health benefits, i.e.
• Are a good source of vitamin A and are also high in protein;
• You may also choose to add them to your cat’s diet on a regular basis;

Dosage

• 1/4 teaspoon for every 15 lbs of body weight, in combination with;
• 1/4 teaspoon of the pumpkin seed oil for every 20 lbs of body weight.

5.  Cloves

Cloves have several health benefits and thus have been used for their medicinal as well as the culinary properties by humans who are dating back about 2000 years.  Their benefit in the fight against hookworms in cats in two-fold…

• Cloves have a compound which increases white blood cell count which then boosts your cat’s immune system – a healthy cat is not a host for any parasite infestation;
• Cloves have potent antibacterial and anti-parasitic properties.

As cloves are usually potent that they should not form part of a cat’s regular year-around the daily diet. The use of cloves is supposed to be restricted to many weeks period twice a year.

Dosage

• Small dogs – use ¼ of a dry clove, crushed and then mixed into food at least once a day for 1 week, then skip one week and then repeat dosage one more time.
• Medium size dogs – use ½ of a dry clove mixed into food at least once a day for one week, then skip for one week and then repeat dosage once more.
• Large size dogs – use a whole dry clove and mixed into food at least once a day for one week, then skip for one week and then repeat dosage one more time.

Do not use whole dry or even fresh cloves, powdered cloves, clove oil on the pregnant dogs as clove is a uterine stimulant

6. Cloves and Goldenseal

Goldenseal is an antimicrobial agent and the digestive aid which enhances medicinal qualities of the herbs which it is blended with. Goldenseal has berberine, a compound which works against hookworms in cats, giardia and pinworms.

Hookworms in Cats Treatment (Cure)

To do away with the worms, a deworming medication can be given to your cat to get rid of the worms or even to expel them.

Sometimes that is all that will be needed. But nutritional and iron supplements might also be necessary. With the kittens, treatment is supposed to begin at four weeks of age and treated monthly thereafter.

With the pregnant females, treatment against hookworms in cats is supposed to begin about two weeks after breeding and then continue until four weeks after kittens are born.  This will do away with possible worms in the intestines and also protect the kittens.

In severe cases, the cat will require being hospitalized for the fluid therapy and supplemental oxygen, depending on the severity of anemia and the condition of the cat. Be aware that there is a possibility of sudden death even with the treatment.

Are Hookworms in Cats Contagious

If infected, your cat passes the eggs of hookworms in stool. These eggs then later hatch in soil outdoors, ready to infect another animal. The hookworms in cats enter through the skin of the feet when he steps on infected soil for 10 minutes, according to Public Health Center.

Your cat may also become infected if he ingests the hookworm when grooming or when sniffing around infested soil. Cats which frequently hang out in common outdoor areas may pass the worms to each other. If your cat encounters an infected rodent and then ingests it, he could contract the hookworms.

How to prevent Hookworms in Cats

• The environment where cats sleep and then relieve themselves should be kept very clean. Pay attention to the accumulation of water in the containers and ponds.
• If you see any of the above-mentioned symptoms in your cat, then take a sample of the fecal matter to your vet so that an infection is confirmed or even ruled out quickly.
• There are no inoculations for the parasitic infestation, so the only way that you can use to protect your cat is by observing and acting quickly.
• Although hookworm cases are very rare in humans, the hookworms in cats may penetrate the human skin, so great care should be taken when treating the affected cat.

Our Sources and References

• Feline Hookworm Infection: http://www.petwave.com/Cats/Health/Hookworm.aspx
• DIY Natural, Herbal Dewormers for Dogs and Cats: http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.co.ke/2013/05/diy-natural-herbal-homeopathic.html
• Hookworms in Cats: http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_ct_ancylostomiasis
• How Do Dogs & Cats Transmit Hookworms to Each Other: http://pets.thenest.com/dogs-cats-transmit-hookworms-other-6011.html
• How will hookworms affect my cat: http://www.petsandparasites.org/cat-owners/hookworms/
• Hookworms in Cats – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment: http://www.cat-world.com.au/hookworms-in-cats
• Worms in Cats’ Vomit: https://www.vetinfo.com/worms-in-cats-vomit.html
• Hookworms in Cats: http://sheridananimalhospital.com/hookworms-in-cats/