Cat Worms Could Be Flea Larvae or Tape Worms

by Priscilla Dominique Macedo
(Chicago,il,cook)

For these past two weeks I took my cat a bath last friday and when I let the bath drain, I always leave a strainer to catch the lose hair from her coat and fleas but on this occasion I found 3 thread like half inch worms.

Then today I bought her medicine for getting rid of worms and fed it to her in wet food in the morning around 11 am and now its 9 at night and I just finished taking her a bath and did the same routine but this time I found 3 thread like worms that are half an inch in size also but they were brownish black in color.

Is this normal? What type of worms are they? Are they dangerous? Is this a result to the medication?

Vet Suggestion

Hi,

It’s not possible for me to tell you what the worms are without first seeing them, but my best guess, since you mentioned that your cat has fleas, is that they are flea larvae.

If this is the case, deworming your cat will have no effect on them. You need to get your cat on an effective flea preventative like Revolution or Frontline (or its generic equivalent) and give it all year round. Baths may kill the fleas on your pet, but they do nothing to prevent new ones in the environment from hopping aboard.

Cats with fleas are also at a high risk for tapeworms. Most over the counter dewormers do not kill tapeworms. Look for one that contains the ingredient praziquantal (Tape Worm Tabs). Talk to your veterinarian if you have any concerns about your pet’s health.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM