My cat has tapeworm segments in his bed. Are they dead? Is it safe?

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.

Unfortunately there is no way to stop cats from shedding the tapeworm segments. You don't have to keep her quarantined if you don't want to . I understand the segments are gross and you have a toddler but the segments are not harmful. The only way your toddler would get tapeworms would be from ingesting an infected flea. I would be more worried about getting the fleas under control. So, if Yuki had fleas, they are definitely in your house so you should treat the house for fleas as well. I recommend this product: https://www.allivet.com/p-1389-knockout-es-area-treatment.aspx?SearchTerm=knockout+Auto

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

Oh no. Well he good news is that Tapeworms are only infective if they are alive and wiggling around. Once that are dead they are no longer infective. Good hygiene practices (washing hands) is generally enough to avoid being infected with them because they have to be digested for transmission.

1. The only concern for human beings is the transmission of certain tapeworms. These are transmitted by fleas and incidental ingestion of the flea can cause infection. I would not be worried about roundworm, but fleas need to be treated as well as gastrointestinal worms. Normal hygiene precautions must be followed though (wash your hands). 2. You can pet him without problems. 3. Eggs can be present of course and usually bleach is enough to disinfect the area appropriately.

Hi there. Yes, this appears to be a tapeworm segment. Cats generally get them from fleas, or from catching and eating rodents - they can't catch it directly from each other. Many over-the-counter dewormers are not effective against tapeworms, so you'll need to check the label on the one you're using. If it doesn't contain praziquantel, it won't work. The best option would be to get a prescription dewormer from your veterinarian to make sure the meds will be effective. I would also recommend making sure that all of your cats are on a good quality flea control medication like Revolution or Bravecto, to help prevent reinfection once they've been dewormed. If they hunt outside regularly, they should be routinely dewormed every 2-3 months to prevent tapes from returning.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Once tapeworm segments are expelled from the body they will die. They need to be inside the intestines to survive. If you are seeing tapeworm segments but haven’t treated Rocky for tapeworms, there are likely more in his body. If he has been treated then the rest will die inside his intestines and will dissolve. Kisses to Rocky!