Tapeworm (ick ick ick....)

[clarissa]

Pretty sure Mella has tapeworm.

I went to pick her up today, and felt something sticky on my hand - at first i thought it was a tiny off-white booger or something, but quickly realized it was moving!!!

So off to a new vet tomorrow, since i'm having to bus there (cats only clinic though - yay!).

Question is...if you can only get tapeworms from ingesting fleas, then where did Mella get tapeworm from? She's indoor only, no fleas when i adopted her, never saw a flea on her since i've gotten her.

Thanks guys!

[Meowmie]

Hi Clarissa!

There are two common tapeworm species in the cat. One is acquired from fleas and lice, the other by eating uncooked meat, raw freshwater fish, or discarded animal parts. Would this apply?

Also, to eliminate tapeworm infection, the head of the parasite must be destroyed otherwise the worm will regenerate.
Perhaps at one time your kitty was treated for tapeworm but whoever did the deworming didn't do a very good job and that's why you are seeing tapeworm now.

When you go to the vet be sure to take a stool sample with you.

[Nell]

That sounds like a tapeworm all right. Those things are pretty disgusting. Sadie had one when I took her in, and I was grossed out every time I found one of those little tapeworm segments. The vet gave her a dose of Drontal and it took care of it pretty quickly.

As far as I knew, tapeworms only came from fleas. I have never heard of the type that can be transmitted from eating raw meat or fish. I guess I learn something new everyday
How long have you had your cat? Perhaps she already had worms when you adopted her? Even if she was wormed, not every kind of wormer will kill tapeworms. It may be a good idea to get a flea comb and go over her fur with it really well, just to make sure she didn't pick up any fleas.

[clarissa]

interesting!

I have given both my cats itty bitty pieces of raw chicken and beef as treats sometimes . Could that have been the culprit? I'd hate to think that human grade meats come with tapeworm !!

Would it be best to give both my cats flea treatments anyways?

[Meowmie]

Unfortunately there can be parasites such as tapeworms in uncooked meats.
Other dangers of raw meats include salmonella and e-coli and there is also a very real risk of transmitting toxoplasmosis which is particularly dangerous to pregnant women.

The tapeworm that comes from fleas or lice is called Diphylidium caninum.

The tapeworm that comes from uncooked meat, fish, etc, is called
Taenia taeniaformis.

Several species of Taenia can be acquired by eating infected rodents, rabbits and sheep.

Dibothriocephalus latus and Spirometra mansanoides are two uncommon tapeworms cats might acquire from eating uncooked freshwater fish or a water snake.

And then there is Echinococcus granulosa which is a serious health concern in certain parts of the US.

Echinococcus granulosa is a significant public health problem. Dogs and humans can acquire the infection from eating contaminated uncooked meat, and in the case of dogs, by feeding on the carcass of an infected animal. Humans can also acquire the disease by ingesting eggs passed in the feces of dogs. Since humans are not the definitive host, adult worms do not develop. Instead, the larvae produce large cysts in the liver, lungs and brain. These cysts are called hydatids, and they can cause serious illness and even death.

Echinococcus granulosa is found in the southern, western and southwestern United States – areas where sheep and cattle are common. Although dog-to-human transmission is rare, a number of cases (presumably from eating uncooked meat) are reported each year. If your dog runs free in a rural area where this tapeworm could be a problem, ask your veterinarian to check stools for tapeworms twice a year. This species of tapeworm can be identified only after the head has been recovered by effective deworming. Until a definite diagnosis is made, a dog with tapeworm that could be Echinococcus must be handled with extreme care to avoid fecal contamination of hands and food.

[Meowmie]

Would it be best to give both my cats flea treatments anyways?

Personally, I don't know. I would ask the vet and follow his or her advice.

[kittiekatzz]

In all of the years I've had cats, I never knew that there were two different kinds of tapeworm either. Two of my cats go outside and catch rodents, birds etc. I hate it but they came that way and I just haven't been able to keep them in. I've tried but they have broke out of the window screens at times and let out all the other cats. They are the only two that ever have had tapeworm. I treat them with Drontal also and it clears right up. With these guys though, they need treatments about every three months. The segments are disgusting, I check them often to make sure they aren't brewing new worms. Yuck!

They don't have fleas and are treated for them also as a precautionary measure. I always thought that the worms came from the small animals they eat. I never knew they got them from fleas too. Wierd, I learn something knew everyday!

[coaster]

Just want to stick this in, because it came as a surprise when I learned about it: doing a fecal analysis isn't a reliable method of determining if a cat has tapeworms. The tapeworm doesn't shed eggs directly in the stool. It propagate its eggs in the segments it sheds, which crawl out through the anus. So a fecal sample would be positive for tapeworms only if a shed segment just happens to be in the sample. Which isn't very likely. The best determination of a tapeworm infection is to actually see the shed segment on the cat's behind.

[Meowmie]

Here is some interesting information:

http://www.purinaone.com/catcare_cond_a ... eNumber=46

[coaster]

Wow, didn't know there were so many different kinds of tapeworms. (Even one diagnosed by fecal analysis ) Goes to show you'd best not self-medicate if you want to get rid of the suckers (ouch!). Drontal was the dewormer med my vet gave Rocket when he had tapeworms, and it worked just great.