Cat Worms Diagnosis

If your cat has shown symptoms of a worm infection, your next course of action should be a trip to the veterinarian. Upon examination, your veterinarian will perform several different diagnostic procedures to determine which type of worms your cat is infected with, and what the best treatment option available is.

General Examination

When you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian, he or she will most likely request you bring a stool sample along with you. If you have multiple cats, be sure that the stool is that of the infected only. Although, it is worth noting that if one of your cats is infected, the chances of your other cats being infected are high, especially if they all share the same litter box.
Your veterinarian will start with all the general checkup procedures. This includes taking your cat's temperature, checking their eyes, ears, and nose, inspecting their skin, their paws, their gums, and joints. Although this seems irrelevant to your cats condition, it is essential to rule out any other possible causes of the symptoms.

Patient History

A patient history is one of the more vital aspects of your initial visit, as this give your veterinarian an idea of your cat's daily lifestyle, and help them deduce possible causes of your cats symptoms. It is important to be honest with your vet, and if you don't know something, it is okay to say that. Relative to worms, your veterinarian is going to want to know if your cat has come into contact with any strange cats lately, ingested any rodents or insects.

Centrifuge and Microscopic Analysis

After your veterinarian has collected all the information he needs, he will most likely send you home until the analysis of your cat's stool is complete. Your veterinarian will use a centrifuge to separate worm particles from the stool, and then inspect them with a microscope to determine what time of worm your cat is infected with. It is also possible for your cat to be infected with more than one type of worm, which is why it is vital to visit your veterinarian in the first place.

At this point your veterinarian will call you in for another visit to discuss the outcome of their tests. If they were not able to find anything in your cat's stool, your veterinarian may give your cat something to force it to vomit. Stomach worms usually are not seen in stool, and if your veterinarian suspects them they will have to run another analysis on your cat's vomit.