The Roundworm Story

Roundworms can live in cats and can get into people as well. They spread either by eaten eggs or by hatching in the ground(the eggs pass out of the cat in the feces and hatch out in the ground then they reach a larval stage where they can penetrate the foot of the cat or mammal then they migrate through the body).

Often the roundworm, if it penetrates your foot, will just burrow through the skin and die in there somewhere.

Sometimes the roundworm can burrow into body parts including the brain(rare).

Cats need to be retreated in 10 days after the initial deworming treatment(migrating larvae are not affected, just adults in the GI Tract). Then they need to be routinely treated every 30 or more days(your choice).

In the cat the roundworm travels, once in the cats' insides, through various organs, including the lungs and is coughed up and reswallowed by the cat and it starts its adult life in the GI tract.

I have seen roundworms as long as 1 1/2 inch coughed up by kittens and hanging out of the nose. In fact, I think that severely infested kittens can die from related lung issues due to roundworm penetration.

Most of my cats have or have had roundworms. Once their numerous eggs get into the environment it is difficult to get rid fo them. They are resistant to many chemicals including chlorine to some degree.

The best prevention is to always wash your hands after petting a cat or working in the yard or litter area. The eggs can be all over the place, they are very tiny.

As far as getting rid of them if you are infested, there are various black walnut and other dewormers/parasite removers that will work on humans as well as pets available online.