worms in cats

Question
I was wondering what a the signs that a cat has worms. I am caring for my daughters cat and it did come to me with some fleas. She itchs all the time around her ears and I am not sure if it may just be dry skin. Could you help me. I did put flea medicine on her. I dont notice anything in her stool and it is hard.

Answer
Just putting flea medicine on her may not be enough. You probably need to give her a bath in flea shampoo to remove/kill any live fleas and eggs still on her, as well as any "flea dirt" left behind. Hopefully she won't be scratching after that. But if she is still scratching, I would be more likely to suspect an allergy or fungal infection rather than worms.

Usually you would think of worms if a cat seems very thin and/or has soft stools/diarrhea or if you can actually see worms in the stool (they look like tiny grains of rice). Itching/scratching doesn't usually go hand in hand (paw in paw? :-) with worms.

Does this cat go outdoors? If so, it would really be a good idea to have a vet take a look at her, and to bring a stool sample when you go. He could tell you whether it is dry skin or some kind of infection that requires treatment. Fungal infections can be passed from cats to humans so it is really important to investigate and rule out that possibility. The vet can also look at a stool smear under the microscope and tell you if worms are present. You can collect it and transport it by taking a piece of tinfoil and using that to pick a piece of poop out of the litter box, then wrapping it up.

Hope this helps

iris