Tapeworms in a Cat

Tapeworms are ugly and appear as movable segments or dried rice-grain like objects. They are easily treated with Drontal pills or Droncit injections and prevented with flea control.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• worms
• cat
• tapeworms

[somethinoriginaaal]

If immature fleas, or flea larvae, feed on the digested blood or flea dirt, how is it that those fleas can then ingest the larvae of the tapeworm? Does it have something to do with the proteins or hormones the adult tapeworms excretes into the bloodstream, or do those adult fleas literally eat those larvae on the skin of the animal?

Thankyou!

[DrGregDVM]

@somethinoriginaaal Flea larvae actually eat the tape worm eggs in the "packet"The larvae hatch in the fleas larva's gut Once adult fleas,the tape larvae wait to be eaten by a dog or cat who are chewing at the flea and eat it.. The larvae then matures to an adult tape and release egg packets....

[QuadSuit]

How did I get here?

[DrGregDVM]

@QuadSuit were you eaten by a flea larvae?

[QuadSuit]

@DrGregDVM Aw man... Not again...

[kittylovesit]

@DrGregDVM They are the most disgusting things, the pills seem to take away the worms for a short period, but in a month they come back from all the hunting he does. I might go back to the shots, they seem to work the best. My vet had me give him one every few weeks for a total of three shots, and it lasted much longer than the pills.

Thank you so much for all your advice and help. I wish I could bring my animals to you!

P.S. Your videos made me want to study veterinary medicine.

[DrGregDVM]

@kittylovesit He is geting the infection from the rodents.Unfortunately he is not developing immunity to the worm. They usually do not make the animal sick. They are just a passenger. In his case giving the medicine may not really help...he keeps re-infecting himself. Cats can get mild virus infections or eat something to make them sick

[kittylovesit]

@DrGregDVM He is a huge hunter, one time I got 3 animals in one day and he eats the entire thing every time. I will try the drontal 3 times every 3 weeks. He just had them about a week ago, so I have him some pills then.

Can the tapeworms make him really sick? One time he had them and wouldn't eat or drink for about 2 days and would just lie on the floor looking miserable.

[DrGregDVM]

@kittylovesit Is your cat a hunter? Try giving the drontal pills every three weeks for 3 times. Drontal pills are the same price in vet hospitals and feedstores

[AmericanPitbulls1]

@ROBISDISTURBED well the world is a big place and by the time info has traveled it is bound to be miss matched across the line somewhere people get a different kind of worm but you can only get tapeworm from a non vaccinated animals feces like if you stepped in feces when you were barefoot or only had socks so I guess yes but they will be different like they won't be in human feces by then the body has killed it but they will live inside of you and eat your body's cells bye.