Intestinal parasites like tapeworms are common in cats and can be do by safely with assist from a vet . Here ’s how to tell if your cat has cestode and how to get rid of them quickly and effectively .
tapeworm are a usual intestinal parasite in cats that they get from eating either septic flea or infected belittled brute . The worms are divided into section that fall in off and attend similar to grains of rice move around in the cat ’s poop . Luckily , the dirt ball seldom do disease in cats , and both handling and prevention are relatively uncomplicated .
What are Tapeworms?
" Tapeworms are tenacious , white , flat , segmented sponger with hook - like mouth parts that they use to bond themselves to the intestinal wall of hombre , " sound out Jessica Nichols , DVM , who is the master veterinary officer ofSpay and Neuter Kansas City in Kansas City , Mo. " There are multiple tapeworm metal money that infect cats ( Taenia taeniaeformisinfects only cats , andDipylidium caninuminfects both computerized axial tomography and pawl ) , but it ’s not common for veterinarians to distinguish between the two as they tend to cover them both the same way . "
According to Nichols , adult tapeworms will exuviate segments of their body ( calledproglottids ) into the infected cat ’s poop , which are pretty easy to identify with the defenseless optic . " These proglottids look like grains of rice that move , and they are ordinarily check in the after part or around the rearward end of infected khat , " she explains . " They finally discontinue open and release tapeworm eggs into the environment , " Nichols says , and it ’s also potential for the entire tapeworm to break off from the enteral paries and end up in the hombre ’s poop .
How Do Cats Get Tapeworms?
Cats do n’t become infect by straight deplete the cestode eggs released by proglottids . Instead , they get tapeworms by eating either infected small animal like mice , squirrels , and rabbits , orinfected fleas , Nichols says . Fleas eat on the tapeworm eggs carry by proglottids , and the bollock are able to uprise inside the tiny flea . If that infected flea later dry land on a guy and is eaten ( during grooming or as a result of annoying the hombre ) , the cat can then become infected , too .
Nichols notes that big cat with tapeworms can not infect man , and vice versa . However , theCompanion Animal Parasite Councilsays that humanscanbecome infected withDipylidium caninum , though it ’s very rarified and postulate the somebody to eat an septic flea .
How to Tell if Your Cat has Tapeworms
" More often than not , cats with tapeworms wo n’t have any sign or symptoms , " Nichols explain . " The most vernacular clinical sign seen by pet owners are the presence of tapeworm segments in their cat ’s poop or on their cat ’s rear end . " She order that in rare cases , cestode can cause vomiting , diarrhea , itchiness around the cat ’s backside , and stymy intestines . These sign are more likely if the cat is infested with many louse . Nichols adds that adult Arabian tea are more usually affected by tapeworms than kittens .
How Tapeworms are Diagnosed and Treated
Nichols state that tapeworms in cats are most often diagnose by either the possessor or the vet envision the tapeworm segments ( which appear in the cat ’s poop or around its rear death ) . You do n’t need a microscope to spot them . Unlike a display case ofroundworms , yearly fecal ice-cream float tests that use a microscope to attend for parasite bollock in the poop are n’t as useful for detecting tapeworms .
handling of tapeworms in cats involves a single VD of a deworming drug by back talk , explains Nichols . However , cats can become reinfected by corrode septic rodents or flea , so they may have to undergo the same treatment again in the future . " Because flea are a common path of contagion , it ’s of import totreat the fleasas well as the cestode , " she add . " I always recommend flea birth control gadget for my patients that have cestode , and I always study a cestode treatment or shield for my patients that have flea . "
How to Prevent a Tapeworm Infection
According to Nichols , the best way to preclude your cat from get tapeworms is to keep it on a yr - round flea incumbrance . Manyheartwormprevention drugs will also protect against tapeworms . Your cat ’s veterinary surgeon can facilitate you see the practiced options for your deary . It ’s also a good idea to forbid your cat from hunting mouse and other small rodents that could be carry the parasite .
Photo: Daugirdas Tomas Racys / Getty
