My cat has white spots near her butt. Could they be worms? What to do?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The worms in the photo appear to be tapeworms or, less commonly, pinworms. these can cause impactions and diarrhea, especially in kittens. Unfortunately, I am unable to prescribe medication for Coco without having examined her. However, your veterinarian can quickly determine the exact type of parasites present with a fecal sample and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Because many parasites are transmitted by fleas, it is important for Coco to be on a monthly flea preventative. You should also be careful when cleaning out her litter box to make sure you wash your hands well with soap and water, as some of these parasites can infect humans. I hope all is well!

It is a pity that you did not photograph the worm. It would have helped with identification of the worm. Usually kittens have roundworms, but these are not white. It is unlikely that a kitten has tape worm at this age. I would deworm the kitty with a kitten wormer for round worms. Should your kitten have another one of these small white worms (proglottids of tape worm, looks like a bit of a rice corn or sesame seed). If you do discuss worming against tape worm with your veterinarian, since she is so young.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Shiva. Tapeworms are a type of parasite the appear like grains of rice stuck to the fur around the anus of a pet. They are typically spread to the cat from fleas or by eating rodents. It is rare, but they can occassionally be spread to people. It is best for Shiva to see a veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

It could be Pants has intestinal worms such as tapeworms. You will need to take him into the vet to get this diagnosed and to get medication, as tapeworms require praziquantel to treat, which is prescription only from the vet. Best of luck.

Although a picture of it would help determining what it is exactly, that could depend on the diet and could be completely normal (especially if kind of jelly material). It could be even a worm! If persistent that could be due to underlying malabsorption of nutrients, or gastrointestinal inflammation/infection. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It sounds like your cat(s) have tapeworms. Most commonly, these are contracted when your cat's are grooming themselves and swallow adult fleas. Typically, where there are tapeworms, there are or have been fleas. Tapeworms require specific dewormers and the safest ones are available through your veterinarian.

Your first picture looks potentially like a tapeworm proglottid (immature tapeworm), which are common in cats and are usually spread through fleas. Tapeworms do not usually cause many clinical signs however, and depending on Rainbow's age I'd be worried that something else might be causing her weight loss and poor/matted coat - hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid would be one possibility in an older cat. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian who can check a stool sample to help rule out other types of parasites and prescribe the correct deworming medication. They might also recommend checking blood work due to the other symptoms.