Cat/possible tape worm?

[dot n'dave]

So cleaning out the litter box today, I saw something that looked like a broken rubber band in one of my cats poop clumps. I looked closer and I actually think it could be a tape worm segment. I continued cleaning and found a smaller one. I'm pretty sure she has a tapeworm and obviously its Easter/Sunday so I can't take her to the vet til Monday.
In the mean time stripping the beds in the house, vacuuming everything and take a good look at her.
I am so scared of parasites an insects i'm about to have a panic attack!
Also by the way, we get mice in the house every few weeks, and she eats them. Its usually in the middle of the night, so we cant always stop her. She a strictly indoors cat, and im certain that would be the only way of getting this.
Does anybody have any good home remedy I can do til tomorrow?

Thanks, and cross your fingers that we don't get a gross worm too!

 

[jerseygirl1]

No, but this is what I did with my cats - I went to the local feed store and bought Safe Guard dog wormer - the powder - made for a small dog, three doses in a box - put one packet a day for three days in the food and it cleared up all worms, tape, round, etc. it's actually fenbendazole - if you google it, you will find the dosage for cats. Ask your vet. I have four cats and two dogs, to go to the vet and pay $100 per visit - well, it's a money saver and is exactly what the vet woudl give.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=a981a331-83e0-42f5-bf86-0a5b069cc1f0

For anyone who says no - I checked with the vet, he didn't have a problem. Trust me, I did tons of research before giving this to my pets.

 

[key west chick]

Tapeworms usually look like grains of rice. Sounds more like roundworms.

 

[andalusn]

Dogs and cats get tape worms from injesting fleas. You usually know you have tape worms as they leave what looks like pieces of rice where they lay when they dry up. It's gross to find for the first time but if you have a flea proplem or your cats kill/eat mice etc you will have an ongoing issue as it takes about 6 mos for the cycle to start over again. Many feed stores carry wormer now labled for cats and dogs. My challenge is pilling my cat. I would rather pay my vet to do it two times a year than get into a fight with my cat. I don't fare very well.

 

[patandchickens]

Although the classic way to find tapeworms is as individual segments, looking like grains of rice, cats DO sometimes pass (or cough up) longer sections. In fact I got a really nice intact specimen about 5" long and including the scolex ('head' part, that attaches to the cat's gut) for my invertebrate biology students once when a barn cat yorped it up in the aisle, where I boarded my horses

If it's a roundworm, it would seem, uh, round (

) in cross-section, like string is round -- a tapeworm is flattened in cross-section, like a rubberband. Also a tapeworm will look segmented if you look at it closely in good light, a roundworm won't.

If your cat eats mice sometimes, it would be smart to worm her periodically (or at least have a fecal done to see if worming is needed, although that isn;t really all that reliable, esp. for tapeworms) just as a preventive measure.

It is really not something to get all hyper about, though -- a tapeworm or two is not a great big deal for a healthy cat, I mean obviously it is something to attend to when you get a chance but plenty of critters (including a lot of humans) have some internal parasites and it does not really rock the boat noticeably. Certainly check for fleas, just in case, and if you find any evidence of them then treat accordingly (please, NOT with over-the-counter flea treatments, too many of them are waaay too dangerous for cats, no matter what the labels say). But even fleas are not a huge deal, you just would want to get on top of 'em before they get worse, if indeed there ARE any fleas in the house (which there might not be).

Good luck, have fun, take a deep breath and pet your cat for a while

,

Pat

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Here is some good worm Info...
http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehealth_canineintestinalworms.htm...

I have used "Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer" at 1CC/ml for every 5 pounds an I have also used Ivermectin 1% at 1/10th of a CC/ml for every 10 pounds but Ivermectin does not work on Tapeworm.

Heres a thread on Ivermectin.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=310054
They say something about being hard to dose a cat but I used the dose above without issue..

Again Im not a vet nor do I play one on TV. My training is for human trama....


Remember worms are normal. Unless you treat your self regularly for them you probably have worms. Here in the US we just try to act like it is only a 3ed world problem. It is not an never will be.

Also, over treatment for worms poisons your soil an kills beneficial bugs.

 

[dot n'dave]

Quote:
I don't have parasites, I don't, I don't, I don't!
OMG I feel faint!

I want to put my face in the bag of DE now.
Thanks, for telling me something I don't like to think about!

Thanks for the help though.

 

[wordgirl]

Humans CANNOT be infected UNLESS they eat infested FLEAS!
Should a child (or anyone else

) eat tapeworm segments, it will NOT cause any problem whatsoever. The intermediate host (which is the flea) would have to be ingested to cause tapeworm infections.

It is gross to think about, but hopefully this puts some of your fears at rest. You'll be okay.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Humans CANNOT be infected UNLESS they eat infested FLEAS!
Should a child (or anyone else smile ) eat tapeworm segments, it will NOT cause any problem whatsoever. The intermediate host (which is the flea) would have to be ingested to cause tapeworm infections.

Where did you find this?


---------------------------
Some copy an pasts from around the web.
A commonly found worm in humans, who live in the United States and the European countries, is the pinworm. You are likely to get infested with this worm in childhood. 50% of the world's population harbor either the hookworm, large roundworm or the whipworm.

Most of the time, proliferation of intestinal parasites in humans occurs when you eat infected food or when come in the contact with infected feces, which contain worms themselves or their eggs.

Pinworms in Humans: Almost every child below the age of 12 years is infected by them. Pinworms are present everywhere, especially in areas that have four seasons in a year.

Tapeworms in Humans: This is a really tricky customer which attaches itself to the intestinal walls with the help of hooks and suckers. This worm in humans can grow up to 20 feet in length, without you having any indication of its presence in your body. Tapeworm in humans may infest you after eating raw or undercooked pork, tenderloin and sausages or drinking contaminated water.

Roundworms In Humans: The cause of the most common worm infestation in humans is the roundworm infestation. The common mode of infestation of the roundworms in humans is by ingestion of infected food, meat an produce.
---------------------------




You can get worms everywhere. If you ever swim in a natural body of water you have been exposed. If you ever walk barefoot or play/work in the dirt. If you ever eat meat or produce. If you ever get bit by mosquitoes. I could go on. I have scene it all.

Just because we as a country have made it taboo to talk about does not make the problem go away. Worms see the US the same as the rest of the world an they see humans the same way as goats, dogs, cats an chickens.​

 

[sfw2]

Quote:
Where did you find this?


---------------------------
Some copy an pasts from around the web.
A commonly found worm in humans, who live in the United States and the European countries, is the pinworm. You are likely to get infested with this worm in childhood. 50% of the world's population harbor either the hookworm, large roundworm or the whipworm.

Most of the time, proliferation of intestinal parasites in humans occurs when you eat infected food or when come in the contact with infected feces, which contain worms themselves or their eggs.

Pinworms in Humans: Almost every child below the age of 12 years is infected by them. Pinworms are present everywhere, especially in areas that have four seasons in a year.

Tapeworms in Humans: This is a really tricky customer which attaches itself to the intestinal walls with the help of hooks and suckers. This worm in humans can grow up to 20 feet in length, without you having any indication of its presence in your body. Tapeworm in humans may infest you after eating raw or undercooked pork, tenderloin and sausages or drinking contaminated water.

Roundworms In Humans: The cause of the most common worm infestation in humans is the roundworm infestation. The common mode of infestation of the roundworms in humans is by ingestion of infected food, meat an produce.
---------------------------




You can get worms everywhere. If you ever swim in a natural body of water you have been exposed. If you ever walk barefoot or play/work in the dirt. If you ever eat meat or produce. If you ever get bit by mosquitoes. I could go on. I have scene it all.

Just because we as a country have made it taboo to talk about does not make the problem go away. Worms see the US the same as the rest of the world an they see humans the same way as goats, dogs, cats an chickens.

T M I!!!!