Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hello, if you don't know me, I'm Kat. And, uh, please don't think my nickname is from the word "cat." Lol, wow, obssession to the extreme! Haha, but no. ^w^

Anyway, one of my cats ate a bird the other day. Like, head to toe. Feathers to organs. Gross, I know. And what I'm nervous about is if he has parasites or worms (unless they're the same thing, whatever. -_- wink

So here the details:
1. He eats a normal amount of food, I think. Although, I had to force him to eat more for sometime because he was too skinny. (I would sit and wait for him while he ate, he always likes that. And this was a while ago, he's pretty much back to normal and he's been slim all his life.)

2. He doesn't eat that much and sometimes he throws up his food. (I guess more often than other cats, but not that often...confused?) It's basically nothing to worry about I think.

3. There's been no signs that he's sick.

So, if any of you owners have had a cat or dog get sick with a parasite...or worms. Are there any symptoms? Do they get stomach aches or start throwing up?

I've been wanting to take him to the vet, but I never seem to have time. It's also way past his time for a check up. Should I just make sure he goes to the vet during spring break?


...Thanks for all your help!

If there's no indications of worms or parasites then she's probably fine, but if you're worried you might want to deworm with food grade Diatomaceous Earth. It's free of chemicals, safe and effective, and you can find it at health food stores.

It's also good for dealing with skin parasites, like fleas.

I haven't had a need to use it myself, but if I ever need to deworm or get rid of fleas it'll be my first option. It might be the best option for you right now - it's probably a lot cheaper than a vet visit and easier on your cat's system then a chemical dewormer.

Here are a few pages on it - there's lots more to be found via google:
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html
http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html

Uber-late reply and it seems like it isn't a big deal at the moment any more. However, pets most definitely can pick up a variety of internal parasites from wildlife and many of them don't show any obvious clinical signs with a low worm burden. A low number of worms may not cause any obvious problems for the cat, but be aware that many of the same parasites that your cat picks up can be passed along to you.

While it may be an extra expense you'd rather avoid, it would be the best to get a fecal exam for your pets done regularly to check for parasites, particularly if they go outside or do any hunting. You never know if your cat has something unless you look. :3

As for the diatomaceous earth...potentially worth a try, but pretty much every scientific study done on it has failed to prove any efficacy against internal parasites. You would definitely want to be cautious if you were depending on that for your and your cat's safety.