Is it safe to let my cat out after tapeworm meds with a toddler?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Rashmika had tapeworms but it sounds like you are addressing that. This is a good question. Tapeworms require an intermediate host so a pet cannot transmit them directly to other pets or people. Other pets would have to eat the intermediate host (most often a flea carrying tapeworm eggs) to get a tapeworm infection. So your other pets and your family are extremely safe to be around her right now. Good luck with Rashmika

It is not necessary to confine Smokey unless it will give you peace of mind. Practice good hygiene (keep the litter box clean, wash hands, etc.) and you and your family should be fine. Cats get tapeworms from ingesting fleas. It is a good idea to treat him for fleas as well for a minimum of 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. Repeat the deworming in 2-3 weeks as well.

The Praziquantel should kill the tapeworm within a few hours. The tapeworm will be eliminated with all its segments (proglottids) with the feces. I would think this happens within 2 days at the longest.

Hello, and thank you for your question. The tapeworm segments consist of tapeworm eggs, that can be ingested by fleas. I would ensure that Milton has (and continues to be) on monthly flea control, and that he received an appropriate deworming treatment for tapeworms. As long as the fleas are well controlled, the tapeworms should die away and not recur. The only way that humans can get infected by tapeworms is to ingest an infected flea, so it is safe to say the risk is low! I hope this helps, and that Milton is doing well!

This is really not necessary for you to do. The way cats get tapeworms is by eating fleas infected with the tapeworm larvae. They will not get tapeworms by ingesting the segments you see in the feces. So, that being the case, you should be more concerned with treating the environment to get rid of the fleas/flea eggs, etc. and by treating the cat with flea medication (either topical or oral) every month. If you have a yard and cat goes outside you should treat the yard as well. If a cat has tapeworms they definitely have fleas. Disinfecting the house with bleach is not helpful in preventing transmission of tapeworms (you cannot get the either) but if it makes you feel better by cleaning the house with bleach you can certainly do that - I would use a 10:1 dilution of water to bleach (10 parts water to 1 part bleach). Hope this helps.

Hi there. Tapeworms have an indirect life cycle, so the only way to become infected is by swallowing an infected flea or eating a dead animal that was infected (rodents, etc.) So don't worry overly much about any segments or eggs in the environment you may have missed. Keep Rhiley on a good quality monthly flea preventative like Advantage Multi or Revolution. If she hunts and eats things, then I would recommend deworming her routinely every 3-6 months to prevent any problems.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So technically you can only get it if one of the tapeworm segments gets in your mouth and you swallow it... But just to play it safe, I'd say within 3 days she should stop shedding worms and segments and it should be safe to have her in bed. Also, make sure you're treating her for fleas because the tapeworms are often transmitted by fleas. (Treat any cats and dogs in the home simultaneously.) Best wishes to you and Zions!