Roundworms are the most common cause of a potbelly, though other worms can also cause this symptom.

Body “condition” is a matter of assessing the fat cover over the cat’s bones. Landmarks such as the spine, hips, and pelvis are especially useful for this.

A dull coat. A coat that lacks any sort of gloss. A matted coat.

If your cat begins vomiting uncontrollably, bring him or her to the veterinary clinic immediately.

You can recognize anemia by lifting you cat’s lip and looking at her gums. If your cat’s gums are healthy, they should be pink in color. If the cat is anemic, the gums will be white, grey, or a washed-out pink.

If you do not have other kittens for comparison, this can be difficult to assess but a fit, healthy kitten should be bright, playful, plump, and should have a soft, glossy coat. Heavy worm burdens in a kitten can have life-long ramifications causing ill health throughout its life.

It may be easier to look for flea dirt, rather than the fleas themselves. Flea dirt is dried blood excreted by the flea and is often present in the coat of infested animals. To look for flea dirt brush a section of the coat in the wrong direction and look for small dark dots near the base of your cat’s hairs. To check that the specks you find are flea dirt rather than just dust or dander, take a damp piece of white tissue and place the dirt on it. Because flea dirt is dried blood, when it comes into contact with the moisture the dirt will leave a red or orange stain. If you find fleas or flea dirt you need to treat the cat for the fleas and the environment (ie the house and bedding material) to rid the cat and home of fleas.

The egg packets may also get stuck to the cat’s bedding, so have a quick look at your cat’s bedding as well. If you find these, take your cat to its veterinarian to get treated for tapeworm.

Tapeworms are a creamy white color, flat, and segmented. They average around 4 to 28 inches in length. [5] X Research source www. cdc. gov/parasites/dipylidium/faqs. html [6] X Research source www. pets. webmd. com/cats/tapeworms-cats Dipylidium caninum: The cat can get this type of tapeworm by eating fleas infected with tapeworm eggs. [7] X Research source Taenia taeniaeformis: Cats can get this type of tapeworm when they hunt, catch and eat rodents infected with this kind of tapeworm. [8] X Research source

Toxocara cati: These worms can be picked up via the mother’s milk, and most kittens are infected at birth. These are commonly responsible for pot-bellied kittens, and cause vomiting and diarrhea. Toxascaris leonine: These roundworms are acquired from contact with infected cat or rodent feces. The worm is sometimes vomited up whole, or passed out in the stool.

The tooth-like mouth parts attach to the lining of the small intestine and release an anticoagulant that causes blood seepage into the gut. Infected kittens tend to be anemic, lacking in energy, and grow poorly.

Dirofilaria immitis: Infected mosquitoes can transfer dirofilaria eggs into your cat’s bloodstream. The signs are nonspecific such as lack of energy, weight loss, and a cough. Sadly, some cats show no symptoms and die suddenly, because of a blockage in a main blood vessel to the heart.

The eggs of different worms have a different physical appearance which aids in their identification. If the examination of your cat and its feces proves fruitless, this does not mean that your cat does not have worms. It merely means that no worms were passed out of its body. Some cats can harbor large amounts of worms and not pass any out. The only way to be certain is to collect a fecal sample to take to your vet for analysis. [11] X Research source Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases and Parasitology. 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell