cat worms

Flea Bites Cat,
Cat Bites Flea,
Cat Gets Worms.

Cat worms and other internal parasites can infect our furry friends in several ways. Here are the two most common ways cat parasites (and dog parasites) are transmitted, and how to get rid of them once they take hold.

According to the official statement of Veterinary Medical Officer Dr. Linda Wilmot, D.V.M., of the United States Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine in Washington, DC:

“More than 90 percent of puppies are born with worms. Mother dogs can pass worms to their puppies before birth and both dogs and cats can pass it to their offspring through their milk after birth.”

This unfortunate birthday present is only the beginning of our young pet’s lifelong battle with cat worms and dog worms.

The second most common path of internal parasite infection is through (believe it or not) cats and dogs eating fleas. Here’s how:

The common tapeworm (Dipylidium caninus) lives in the small intestine of dogs and cats by attaching itself to the intestinal wall.

As the tapeworm grows, its tail segments – each segment the size of a grain of rice and containing an independent reproductive tract – break off and pass through the animal’s rectum or stool.

Flea larvae in the vicinity feed on these tail segments, which are essentially small sacks of dormant tapeworm eggs. As flea larvae continue to develop, the ingested tapeworm eggs hatch inside and grow to their infectious stage of development.

The now-adult flea finds its way to your cat or dog for a satisfying blood meal only to be licked, swallowed and digested, releasing the young tapeworm into its’ new host’s small intestine. And so the life cycle goes.

From the time the flea is swallowed, it takes only 3 weeks for tapeworm segments to appear on the pet’s rear end or stool.

How to eliminate cat worms and dog worms