I adopted this cute kitten (Cece) 4 & 1/2 months ago from a pretty renowned shelter/vet in my area. Nothing about Ceces medical exam upon arrival at the shelter was noticeable, and nothing was noticeable about her health at the time of adoption (according to the medical exam notes). Cece was around 6 months old when I adopted her.

The first thing I noticed when I took her home was how big her tummy was. She had some clear signs of bloating but I thought it was from the change in food or something bathroom related. Her bloating did decrease a bit after she settled in but her tummy is still round and is the biggest part of her body. The thought of worms did come to mind previously but I had found no signs of anything and thought she was just round (wow am I dumb).

I was cleaning my cats bedding 2 days ago when I found old tapeworm egg things and was shocked because I got my other cat (Sylvester) checked for fleas and tapeworms 2 months ago and found nothing. I immediately called the vet and here we are now - Sylvester just got home from the vet and he still has no signs of worms or fleas. Cece is going to the vet tomorrow morning and now Im feeling 90% sure shes the one with worms, and that when I adopted her she already had worms.

Im shocked and also feel really bad. I obviously dont know for sure if she has tapeworms yet, but if so, I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without noticing anything besides her tummy. I feel so bad shes had worms the whole 4 & 1/2 months I’ve had her, I can’t even imagine existing with tapeworms in me for 4 months! I thought I was a good mom and pretty attentive to my babies but now Im not sure.

Also, if she does have worms should I call the shelter and inform them that the cat I adopted from them possibly had worms at that time? So they can check all their cats and help them if they’re sick. Is it common to adopt pets from shelters and they already have worms or fleas? I was initially feeling shocked they wouldn’t notice something like worms (especially since they have their own vet clinic), but after all this, I think I can better empathize with the struggles of owning a sick cat thats good at hiding their pain/discomfort.