Most cats are infected by tapeworm at some time in their lives. It is one of the most common internal parasites suffered by pets, partly because tapeworms are carried by fleas. Fortunately for cats, tapeworm is easily treatable with oral medication. You can prevent tapeworm by practicing vigilant flea control, keeping the cat's coat and your home free of these pesky invaders.
What is Tapeworm?
A nasty intestinal parasite, tapeworms can infect both cats and dogs. The tapeworm looks like its name: a thin, whitish flat strand several inches long that resembles ribbon or tape. Containing male and female reproductive parts, tapeworms can multiply on their own, and will lay their eggs in your cat's intestines. Tapeworms are considered more troublesome than dangerous. They rob nutrients from your cat, and in large numbers, cause it to lose weight. Mild diarrhea and appetite changes are other symptoms of tapeworm. And a heavily infested cat will also have a rough, patchy coat.
How Cats Get Tapeworm
The two most common types of tapeworms infecting cats are dipylidium caninum and taneia taeniaformis. Dipylidium caninum tapeworms are transmitted by flea larvae that have consumed tapeworm eggs. After a cat ingests a flea during grooming, the tapeworm hatches when the flea breaks down in the stomach. Taneia taeniaformis tapeworms arrive when a cat eats rodents that host tapeworm larvae. Both types of tapeworms hook onto a cat's small intestines, where they mature in two to three weeks, then release their eggs.
If your cat has tapeworm, you'll spot rice-like grains in the fur around your cat's anus and in its litter box. (Your vet can also confirm their presence by checking a stool sample.) Those tiny grains are the tapeworm's egg-filled segments passing out of the cat in its feces. Fleas ingest the eggs and restart the cycle.