Eggs or something falling off my cat..

[sramelyk]

I am freaking out! I woke up this morning and was petting my cat like I do every morning in bed when I noticed little egg things or something all around him on the sheets. I freaked out. When I got him off the bed and pulled the covers up they were everywhere. From searching the internet I have no idea what they are. They definitely don't look like flea eggs so I'm a bit baffled. Can anyone help?

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• sramelyk
• Oct 18, 2012

 

[flafred]

Yikes! Have you contacted your vet?

 

[AbbysMom]

I think those are worms. Google cat tapeworm and look at the pics. It's time to call the vet and have your cat dewormed. Good luck!

 

[andrya]

Has he been dewormed? lt looks like dried worm segments, l've seen them before, but can't gauge the size from your pic.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5421930_feline-tapeworm-treatment.html

 

[sramelyk]

Yes, I have now come to the conclusion that it is worms. My cat has been to the vet multiple times and he was on worm medicine but we completed it. I suppose it wasn't effective. Is there anything over the counter that anyone has used that is effective?

 

[sramelyk]

Nevermind, I've followed the above link..

Thanks!

 

[orientalslave]

If you are in the UK then Milbemax (vet only) is effective against all the UK worms.

 

[carolina]

That's Tapeworms.... Make sure to treat fo tapes, but also for fleas.... Tape usually comes from eating fleas..... Good luck!

 

[carrief]

hey i was wondering if you ever found out for sure about those things u found in your bed... we have the same issue and are tripping very bad thinking that it has somehow entered our body... omg HELP!!!! 

 

[laurag]

Definitely tape worm that comes from fleas. Vets have tablets that they can give to the cat and it gets rid of the worm. Those are segments of the worm.

 

[blah411]

omg so were r the worms??/ are they in the house

 

[stephanietx]

They are inside your kitty's intestinal tract.  Get a tapeworm treatment from the vet as well as flea treatment.  Don't use over the counter remedies. 

 

[raintyger]

You have to get tapeworm tablets from a vet. Don't worry, you pretty much pill the cat and it destroys them. Make sure you clean out the house, bedding, etc. The tapeworm life cycle is through fleas, so treat kitty, house and yard for fleas.

 

[travisg96]

So the Ag supply sells a homeopathic worm medicine. It claims that it works by creating a environment that is hostile for the

worms. It is not effective for getting rid of worms but can help keep them from getting established. Has anyone tried this?

Travis

 

[shunra]

It will be completely ineffective at prevention as well as cure. Don't waste your money.

 

[stephanietx]

Tapeworms require a specific medication as it's not included in the general dewormers.  You have to get it from the vet.

 

[travisg96]

My mom got it from Petco although it may have been Banfield since they are in the same building.

 

[sugarsandz]

 
hey i was wondering if you ever found out for sure about those things u found in your bed... we have the same issue and are tripping very bad thinking that it has somehow entered our body... omg HELP!!!! 

The only way you are going to get a tapeworm from your cat is if you ingest a flea or a tapeworm segment. Praziquantel is fast acting, the tapeworm our cat had was gone in 24 hours and it only took one treatment. She didn't have fleas (which are rare here) but most likely ate something that did when she was a stray.

When the segments leave the cats body they move and stretch for a little while then dry up into those little rice grain looking things which other animals pick up on accident. It wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on any other pets in contact with your living area as sometimes they pick the segments up on their paws then ingest them while cleaning. You won't get these worms from coming into contact with the segments as long as you don't eat them, I always wash my hands thoroughly after cleaning them up and wash any bedding that they were dropped on, I also sweep or vacuum. I'd change the litter as well since they have probably dropped off in there and might be picked up and reintroduced during a cleaning session.

If you have fleas like others have said, getting rid of them will get rid of the tapeworms. If you don't have fleas but you let your cat outside then keeping your cat inside is the only way to prevent it from ingesting prey with worms unless a mouse or other small animal snuck inside your home which also happens, especially in winter.

Best of luck with this, it's not a horrible issue to treat as long as you find the source. I know the thought of getting worms from a pet can be scary but there isn't much to worry about as long as you wash your hands. Once you use the tapeworm meds it will get back to normal quickly as long as you're not faced with a flea infestation but even then it can be taken care of without to much hassle as long as you stay diligent.

 

[tami reed]

These are dried segments of a tapeworm. As the tapeworm grows inside your cat it starts to shed segments. They come out as whit like rice looking worms. When they fall off the cat they dry and appear like you have in your picture. You can get tapeworm tablets at your local pet store. They cost a couple dollars per pill but it kills the tapeworm or worms. If you look at the cats feces right after he/she poops you can see the tapeworm segments crawling out like worms. You can also ask your vet for a topical deformed called pro fender that is put on just like today's flea products on the base of the neck. That cost about 10-20 dollars but it kills other worms to and supposed to last 3 months. Just so you know it only takes a cat swallowing one flea to get tapeworm. Keep cat indoors and keep him/her on a regular monthly flea product to reduce the chance of this occurring. However remember we can bring fleas on our clothes when we go outside or over to friends houses who have pets etc. just do the best you can. Your vet can also deworming your cat with strongid too. Lots of choices. Easy fixes. Best of luck.

 

[tami reed]

Pro fender is available through discount animal clinics or your vet. It lasts 3 months, I have several rescues and use it on them. No problems here and they are gone overnight. You can also use the monthly product called revolution for flea and heart worm control if your cat goes outside. It won't kill the tapeworm though but it will kill the fleas. I've noticed the fleas have evolved to be resistant to most of the available flea products. I am using revolution because it's the only one that I find works still. I'm sure they will get resistant to that too so they just keep developing new products. Hope this helps !