Little white worms and bleeding on butt

by Annie
(Puerto Rico)

Hi! My name is Annie. I just rescued a 1 week old kitten who’s mom died. I looked for info on how to help him survive.

I started feeding him milk replacement, I’ve kept him warm and cozy. But I started noticing some white little things that look like rice around his butt and he’s bleeding a lot.

To me it also seems like they’re eating him making kinda like a hole near the butt. I need help with this. I really want to help this kitten survive.

Annie


Hi Annie… nice to hear from Puerto Rico. I am sorry to hear of your kitten’s health problem, though.

Of course I realise that you want to try and avoid going to a vet. I will, therefore do my best to provide advice. However, the best advice is to see a good vet.

Maggots

You say that little things that look like rice might be eating him making a hole. If this is true it indicates that there are maggots. The bluebottle or blow fly may lay eggs in an open wound or badly soiled, damp, matted coat. If the anus of your cat is injured by over licking due to diarrhea this may lead to maggots.

If these are maggots common sense says that they should be removed as soon as possible. Do it with blunt tweezers. Wash the infected area with Betadine solution and dry. Antibiotics should also be administered.

I am not convinced that there are maggots. Your cat might simply have tapeworm.

Tapeworm

Your description of “white little things that look like rice” indicate tapeworm. You will need deworming medication from your vet plus a deflea treatment as the cat flea is part of the reason why your cat might have tapeworms. The flea is part of the tapeworm’s life cycle. Consideration should be given to the fact that your cat is very young.

Hookworm

There is a possibility that there may be a hookworm infestation. Newborns can acquire hookworms from mother’s milk. The treatment requires a veterinarian’s skills as kittens with acute signs “require intensive veterinary management”. (Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook).

Infected butt

This may be caused by diarrhea and over grooming by your cat of the anus region. The description points to this. Has your cat got diarrhea? If so there may be an underlying illness that causes the diarrhea. The underlying cause will need to be treated plus the diarrhea (if diarrhea is present).

The problem is that kittens are very vulnerable to all kinds of illness and you can’t diagnose them yourself.

You have to see a vet I am afraid to cover all the possibilities. Kittens can become very ill very quickly so there is no real alternative to a good veterinarian.

Note: please use the search box at the top of the home page for articles about the illnesses referred to here.

Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

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