Graphic question about kitten worms (do not read if squeamish)

Isolt

Hey guys,
I had Panda at the vet for his vaccinations yesterday (he's 9 weeks and 2 days) and he got a worm dose too. I have very little experience with cats and this little fella is my first kitten so excuse my ignorance but..

There are worms in his stool in the litter tray which I expected. However, he was sitting beside me on the window ledge and started cleaning himself, licking his tail etc. I looked again and he was chewing a big, long off white worm. I assume it is a roundworm.

My question is, does him eating the worm means he will reinfect himself? He is getting another dose of the dewormer in two weeks but I must admit I am very freaked out by him eating the long, disgusting yolk!

Also, he is an indoor cat. Does this mean the worms can come out on my bed when he is asleep?

I'm not normally squeamish but... *shudder*

Thanks

Cruel Sun

Don't have him near the bed if he has worms. I hope he gets better soon.

SingItOut

Yes you can catch something from worm eggs if you ingest them in any way. He already has them in his intestines but yes by him licking down there he can ingest the eggs again, many will have died from the worm dosage but another dose should do the trick. Don't want to freak you out but best get new bed sheets and replace his bedding and scrub his litter box and the rest of your house, especially if you have carpet.

The Sweeper

Probably a tapeworm. Basically he'll dump the worm load and as long as you stick to the schedule for his next dose of wormer he'll be fine. Keep the litter tray very clean during this time too.

planetX

and just to add - if it was a tapeworm, eating it won't reinfect him. Tapeworms go through a lifecycle with 2 different hosts, either rodents or fleas depending on the species, so he can only become re-infected by ingesting either of those.
The schedule of worming is timed so that worms never reach maturity to produce eggs, so as long as you always worm him in time there isn't an issue.

x Purple Pawprints x

As long as you get his next worm dose when you are due to (probably 2 weeks after the last one) he should be fine.