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Intestinal Worms - An Insides Story
Dr Jo Lewis MRCVS  |   13 Sep 2021   |  5 min read        
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Tapeworms and roundworms are two of the most common intestinal parasites of cats. Tapeworms are long flat worms composed of many individual segments which live in the cat intestine. Mature segments (which contain eggs) are shed in the faeces, or sometimes seen around the anus. They look a little like grains of rice and can be mobile. Roundworms are shorter with rounder bodies, and produce microscopic eggs which are shed in faeces.  They may occasionally be vomited up from the stomach.

Roundworms (including Toxocara)
The common roundworms of the cat are Toxacara cati and Toxascaris leonina. Infection is by the ingestion of infective eggs or eating another animal (intermediate host) such as a mouse that is itself infected. Toxacara cati may also be transmitted through the milk of the queen (mother), so kittens can be infected with roundworms from a very young age. Roundworm infections are extremely common and it is safe to assume that all kittens will be infected.

It is possible for humans to be accidentally infected with worms. Toxocara cati is a concern, particularly in children, where ingestion of the eggs may result in migration of the worm larvae through the body and potentially causing damage such as blindness.  Regularly using a worming product is therefore not only important for your cat but for you and your family and the neighbourhood at large.



Tapeworms
The two most common tapeworms infecting cats in the UK are Diplydium caninum and Taenia taeniaformis. The tapeworm segments shed in the faeces contain eggs which are eaten by an intermediate host (flea larvae or small rodents). When the cat eats an infected flea (when grooming) or kills and eats an infected rodent the life cycle of the tapeworm is completed as the tapeworm develops and attaches to the lining of the cat’s intestines. All cats that come into contact with fleas or who hunt are likely to be infected with tapeworms.

There are 4 main types of tapeworm:
  • Dipylidium tapeworm – the most common one which is spread by fleas
  • Taenia tapeworm - cats that hunt mice and other prey and dogs that scavenge
  • Echinococcus granulosus (the sheep tapeworm) - caught by dogs but not cats
  • Echinococcus multilocularis currently only found outside the UK
It's a Jungle Out There! Find out more about the link between tapeworms and fleas with this video

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