Tapeworms in cats are pretty common. Some cats and households seem to get these visitors more often than others. The adult tapeworms hang out in the intestine and release segments of their bodies that exit the animal and “crawl” away from the anus. You may see them as a fleshy, white, wiggling particle the size of a rice grain moving around the rear end of your cat. I once saw a tapeworm segment “crawling” on the arm of my couch. Those packets release eggs that baby fleas feast on, and then grow the baby tapeworm in their bodies. If the flea is munched and crunched by a cat or dog, then the baby tapeworm will grow into an adult in our pet’s intestine. There is another tapeworm present in rodents that once eaten will infect the eater and the cycle will be complete.
Once the tapeworm packet releases its eggs, the sack will dry up and look just like a rice grain or sesame seed. You may see one or a sprinkling of these segments in a cat bed or on your cat’s butt.
Getting rid of tapeworms involves killing the adult with a wormer specifically for tapeworms. Most wormers you can buy from pet supply stores are for roundworms and won’t affect or kill tapeworms. Tapeworm medications are available at veterinary hospitals or on-line pharmacies.
Since fleas carry the tapeworm “nursery”, it is a good idea to treat your cats and dogs for fleas also. If feral cats or neighborhood cats frequent your area, it may be necessary to use flea treatment year-round and worm more than once. The most popular flea treatments for cats are Revolution and Advantage. (Remember to never use dog flea and tick treatments on cats!).
In summary: If there are lots of cats in your area or lots of fleas, or if your cat is a hunter then your pets may become infected with tapeworms. A tape wormer and flea control will kill both adult tapeworms and fleas to stop the infection and spread.
Check out my you tube video to see the live, crawly, egg packets, dried segments, and adult tapeworms!
Remember to feed your dog and cat a healthier diet! Our pets are sentenced to processed food, unless we help them enjoy a variety of healthier choices. If your cat is obese, it should eat canned instead of dry food! I always supplement my cats with pieces of real meat(chicken, beef, fish, turkey) 2-3 times per week.
I have started to slow cook my cats food along with my dogs food and will have an updated eBook available in a month or two! “Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet: Introduction to Slow Cooking”.
Only you can give your dog and cat the gift of health with better nutrition!Learn more about better nutrition by ordering Dog Dish Diet, Dog Dish Diet (second edition kindle), or Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet(Dog Dish Diet Videos available at http://mindbites.com (See the box on the right!) Only 2.99 for the series!
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