As the worm turns
35 weeks ago | 4279 Views | (0) Comments
One of Britzi's most notable traits has been her appetite. She gobbles up a can of food a day in addition to munching on dry food throughout the day. And she lets us know when it's time for us to feed her (meow, meow, MEOW!).
My family used to joke that, when someone was always hungry, that they must have a tapeworm. I probably made this remark about Britzi early on. But I was pretty embarrassed to discover that she did, indeed, have a tapeworm.
I learned this after trying to figure out what Britzi might have tracked onto the black fleece blanket — the tiny yellow particles looked like couscous or sesame seeds. I was puzzled, but let it slide until I saw more particles in a different place. A web search for general cat-health diagnostic tools came up with the answer surprisingly quickly: these were dried-out tapeworm segments. EWW!
Since (naturally) I made this discovery on a Friday evening, I figured a vet visit was coming on Monday. But a bit more searching revealed that tapeworm treatment could be had over the counter. One trip to Petco and $20 later, I had a tiny bottle with three tablets. It's a one-dose, and in Britzi's case one-tablet, treatment, so there are leftovers in case of re-infection.
The information I found said cats can be infected in two ways: by eating an infected rodent, or by being bitten by an infected flea. She hasn't eaten any rodents while she's been with us, though she might have as a stray — she was at Olathe Animal Control before coming to the no-kill shelter where we adopted her. I don't know if shelter vets check stool samples; tapeworm would be obvious if so. The yellow particles showed up pretty soon after we brought Britzi home, but that doesn't mean she was already infected.
The medicine didn't say how long it takes to work, but I'm hoping for soon. I guess I'll have to check her stool for the next few days. The things we do for love…
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