Kitten with Roundworms and Tapeworm

[Vicious Hanyou]

I have three cats, ages 3, 9, and 17. I have a kitten that is four months old. Prior to taking home my new kitten, she was treated for roundworms. Before I took her home, she was retested and it was determined she was parasite free. She was running around with my other cats for three weeks before I received an email that basically said:

"We received a call from one of Honey's (my kitten's) siblings mother. She tested positive for roundworms, you may want to have her rechecked."

I immediately quarantined her to our bedroom (only room I could really do that) with her own litter box, food and water. She was brought to the vet and tested positive for roundworms and tapeworm. She was given Profender (a topical on her neck) and will be retested in 5 days now. It has been 36 hours.


Key points are:

- My kitten has been diagnosed with roundworms and tapeworm. She was given Profender.

- I am cleaning the litter box several times a day.

- She was openly around my cats for three weeks.

- Since the beginning, she has had her own litter box since she has trouble climbing in and out of the other one. She HAS gone in the adult only a handful of times.


My key questions are:

- Has anyone had any experience with effectiveness of Profender, good or bad?

- How easily are these worms transmitted to humans?

- How likely is it that these worms may be transmitted to my cats? (I've been checking their stool everyday and watching for signs. If I see any hint of anything, I'm immediately bringing them to the vet)

- My cats are going crazy looking for her and her for them to the point that she is keeping me up at night. I was told by the vet that I could let them all play within three days but I'd much rather wait for the retest to be done even though the little stinker is driving me mad. Thoughts on this?

[Shanna66]

Dont eat the poop and you will be fine. Cats get it because they lick their paws and walk barefoot on infected areas

Ive never used a topical for worms so im not sure how it will do

[Vickicat]

I've never used that medication for my cats so I can't answer anything about that. As far as worms being transmitted to people, the chance is pretty low. Just make sure you wash your hands after dealing with the litter box and you should be fine. The only way I could think of a person getting worms from their pets is if they cleaned a litter box and then didn't wash their hands and touched food that they ate. And even then I think the chances would still be kind of low, but the risk would exist. As for your other cats getting the worms, it's a possibility. Just keep an eye on their poop (or if they vomit, sometimes worms will be in that too). If you want to be absolutely sure have your vet do a fecal test for all your other cats.

[Vicious Hanyou]

Vickicat

I've never used that medication for my cats so I can't answer anything about that. As far as worms being transmitted to people, the chance is pretty low. Just make sure you wash your hands after dealing with the litter box and you should be fine. The only way I could think of a person getting worms from their pets is if they cleaned a litter box and then didn't wash their hands and touched food that they ate. And even then I think the chances would still be kind of low, but the risk would exist. As for your other cats getting the worms, it's a possibility. Just keep an eye on their poop (or if they vomit, sometimes worms will be in that too). If you want to be absolutely sure have your vet do a fecal test for all your other cats.

Yeah, I wash my hands after the litter box AND after handling her just to be safe. I think my concern comes with how cuddly she is at night. She likes to lick my face (lol) and put her paws all over my face / hands / arms which I am paranoid about. I still love my little munchkin though and wouldn't change her for the world. I've just been extra careful about touching my eyes, nose, and mouth lately.

I've definitely been keeping an eye on their stool when I change their litter. Vomiting (moreso hairballs) is normal for my older cat, he likes to eat any plastic that he finds and will throw it up. But I AM making sure it's his "normal" throw up and not something that seems different.

I think I will wait on the testing, only because I would rather not spend money if the concern is low, you know? I would spend every dime on my babies if they needed it, but if not, I'd rather not.

I'm reading some concerning things about the medication so I'm hoping someone who has used it can share an experience. Thank you so much for your input. smile