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Would You Like To Keep Your Kitten Healthy ?

2016/5/4 10:35:08

Once you had the joy of choosing your cute little kitten and have taken it home with you, you may now be faced with an often encountered problem in young kittens: loose stools or feline diarrhea caused by round worms. If you take a closer look, you may find that kitty has got actually a fairly distended belly and lost the shine of its hair coat!

Cat diarrhea is a symptom that is correlated to gastrointestinal disorders. Enteritis is caused by many infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and endoparasites. Especially weanling kittens will suffer from round worm infestation, if preventative worming of the cat mum and kittens did not take place or were not given according to a proper schedule.

Feline nematodes infect the small intestines and cause generally loose stools, colic and vomiting, but also constipation or obstruction and the inability to absorb enough nutrients from food. Related signs are frequently a distended belly, loss of condition and poor growth, a cough caused by migrating larvae and a rapidly developing weakness in young cats.

To ensure a good start for a young cat it is important to prevent rather than having to treat an infestation with cat worms. A responsible cat breeder will be aware of deworming queens before breeding and after whelping to stop round worm larvae being transmitted with the milk to newborn kittens. Some cat worm medicines are claimed to be safe for the use in pregnant queens. Young kittens can start having worming medicine by the age of four weeks and should be wormed in regular, 2-weekly intervals until the age of 12 weeks. Aim for regular, 3 - 4 monthly deworming thereafter.

Suitable cat dewormer for kittens and pregnant queens contain fenbendazole which eliminates adult round worms. Fully grown-up cats can be treated with anthelmintics that are effective against adult worms and their larval stages. There are many different cat worm medicines available that come in different forms, such as tablets, paste, granules, liquids or topical spot-ons. Especially spot-on products can be used conveniently and are easily administered onto the skin, so you can be sure that your cat got the whole dose.

Feline round worm infection in young kittens should be taken seriously, because of the potential threat to their health and well-being in their future life. It is a common parasitic disease that can be controlled and risks can be decreased to a minimum through a simple, easy to follow deworming routine. Modern deworming products for cats are safe to use and very effective. It is quite easy to help your kitten grow up into a happy and healthy adult cat.

Dr. Ellen Schmidt is a veterinary practitioner focusing on alternative veterinary medicine. If you found this article interesting, visit her website and claim your free monthly e-zine "Pet Health Tip", available at => http://www.pet-health-pro.com