Mary Allen
Cats are commonly infected with tapeworms, which are abundant in the gut. Reduce the risk of transmitting tapeworms to humans and other pets, as well as your cat, by becoming familiar with the signs and symptoms, treatment options, and prevention methods.
WHAT ARE TAPEWORMS?
Tapeworms are long, white, and flattened segmented worms that can live in the small intestines of cats and dogs. They contain both male and female reproductive organs and attach themselves to the inside of the intestinal wall with their hook-like mouthparts. There are three types of tapeworm that can affect cats:
- cucumber seed tapeworm
- Taenia species
- Echinococcosis species
All three types usually enter the cat via other animals, so-called intermediate hosts. Taenia and echinococcosis tapeworms can affect wild rodents and rabbits in addition to domestic animals. When cats eat these infected sacrificial animals, the parasite then infects the cat. However, the most common tapeworm found in house cats is cucumber seed tapeworm or the “flea tapeworm”.
OTHER WORM SPECIES IN CATS
Cats are usually infected with tapeworms, which are among the most common types of worms found in animals. However, there are several parasites that affect cats, including:
- Roundworms: Roundworms are the most common worms found in cats and they are the most contagious. Roundworms can be transmitted to kittens through the milk of a mother who has been infected with the parasite. Adult cats can become infected by eating a rodent infected with the virus.
- Hookworms: Although more common in dogs, hookworms can also occur in cats, particularly in the intestines. They are tiny and, like tapeworms, live in the small intestine of the host animal. Hookworms feed on the animal’s blood, which can lead to anemia. Animals can become infected with hookworms through ingestion or direct skin contact with the parasites.
- Non-intestinal worms: Lungworm, heartworm, and eyeworm are three forms of worms that can be found in areas of the body other than the gastrointestinal tract. Lungworm is the most common form, but there are others.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF TAPEWORM IN CATS
Tapeworms are rarely the cause of serious illness. The signs and symptoms of tapeworm in cats can vary from case to case. Your cat’s age, medical condition, and level of infection can all affect the variety of clinical signs your cat displays. The following are some of the signs and symptoms of tapeworm in cats:
- A thinning skin
- An appetite that is unpredictable
- irritability
- failure to experience success
- Mild diarrhea
- emaciation
- seizures
- Complications and constipation of the intestine
- There are tapeworm segments in the feces that look like grains of rice.
It’s possible for a cat with tapeworm to have some, all, or none of the above symptoms. Cats with low infestations may have no symptoms at all, but cats with high infestations may experience unusual and more dangerous symptoms, such as B. seizures, intestinal obstructions, and a significantly reduced body condition.
Healthy adult cats tend to show fewer symptoms, while kittens and cats with compromised immune systems may show more signs. It is possible to observe tapeworms in their natural habitat. Tapeworms excrete segments known as proglottids that look like grains of rice. Depending on the color, these segments can be white or gold in color and can be found in cat feces as well as around the anus.
VOMITING TAPEWORM IN CAT
IF you see tapeworm in the cat’s vomit then yes that would make sense, she probably had a very bad case of tapeworm. I would recommend repeating the treatment 2 weeks after the first.
HOW CAN CATS GET TAPEWORM?
In order to infect a flea larva (an immature stage of the flea), the tapeworm egg must first be eaten by the flea larva. After being implanted in the flea larva, the tapeworm egg continues to grow throughout the development of the flea larva into the adult flea.
It is possible for the cat to accidentally ingest the fly while grooming or in response to a fly bite. With each flea bite, the tapeworm egg is released and continues to develop until it finally anchors itself in the intestinal lining and ends the life of this parasite in our feline friends. Unlike other intestinal parasites, cats cannot contract tapeworms by ingesting tapeworm eggs. Tapeworms must first be transmitted via the flea (which acts as an intermediate host) before they can infect the cat.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO KILL TAPEWORM IN CATS?
It only takes a few hours after praziquantel is administered before it begins to work its way through the tapeworm’s protective outer “skin”, allowing the cat’s immune system and digestive enzymes to destroy and dissolve the parasite.