My kitten has fleas and rice-like poop. Could it be tapeworms?

It sounds like Sasha has tapeworms. She will need a medication call Drontal to kill them, which you get from the vet. Tapeworms are transmitted by fleas, so you will need to treat her for fleas as well. Fleas live in the environment, not on the cat, so she could have fleas even if you don't see any. They jump on to feed, and then jump off. I can give you a flea treatment for her. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!

Little white grain things sounds like tapeworm segments. I suspect they may have tapeworms. Take them into the vet along with a sample of their poop for the vet to examine. If they do have tapeworms, the vet will give you medication to treat as well as flea medication. Fleas carry tapeworms, so make sure all the animals in your home are up to date with their flea medication. I hope this helps!

Poor kitty. In order to know what the stuff in in her poop, we would need to see it. It could possibly be blood, so its best to get this checked out by your vet if you suspect its blood or if it continues to show up in the stools. You can also take a picture of it if it happens again and share it here on the forum so that we can give our best opinion on what it is and if it warrants a vet visit or not. Often-times it takes several baths with dish dawn detergent to get rid of all the fleas. Subsequently you should also treat the house with a flea fogger (purchased from your local Lowes or Home Depot) or a spray such as Frontline that can be used on surfaces. The bleeding you saw when you washed her was likely mostly the fleas and bloody poop (flea dirt) insteda of Snowball actually bleeding. Check her skin for any signs of a serious infection and have this treated by your vet if needed. Also, if Snowball is more than 2 lbs, then at this age she can have a flea product called Capstar (Nitenpyram). This will kill all remaining fleas within 1 hr, but is not a preventative, so the fleas can get back on her if she is exposed to them again, which is why it is so important to treat your home and not allow her outside until she can get on a regular flea preventative (Revolution). Revolution can be given to kittens as young as 8 weeks of age. : ) The capstar instant flea killer can be repeated daily if needed and again is safe for any kitten over the age of 4 weeks or more than 2 lbs. In order to know what the stuff in in her poop, we would need to see it. It could possibly be blood, so its best to get this checked out by your vet if you suspect its blood or if it continues to show up in the stools. I hope that this helps and best of luck moving forward with your kitty Snowball. Take care! : )

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! If you are finding white rice sized segments around Katniss's tail then I suspect you are seeing tape worm segments. Cats get tape worm from fleas and from hunting. You can always post a picture to confirm. I would deworm her with a product that gets tapeworm. Below is a link of a good dewormer or contact your Vet in the morning. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3464 I wish Katniss the best!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Little white pieces that look like rice are tapeworms. The tapeworms might be coming out because they are dying from the dewormer. Tapeworms are transmissible between species so your cat and yourself can get tapeworms. I would wash all the blankets in hot water, and avoid letting her sit in places where your face would go. The transmission to other animals is by eating the eggs/pieces of rice looking things that are coming out. Also, I would talk to your vet about getting another deworming dose, and make sure the product covers for tapeworms. Best of luck with Haylee.

From the picture you provided, it does look like Plug has tapeworms. He will need to see a vet for this problem, as the medication needed to treat it (praziquantel) is available by prescription only. I'd take him into a vet tomorrow. Best of luck.

It sounds like Saphira may have worms! If they look like grains of rice, then they are tapeworms. Tapeworms require praziquantel to kill, which is prescription only from the vet. You will have to take her in to the vet. I would see if you can borrow money from family and friends to afford the vet, you can see if you vet accepts payment plans, you can apply for Care Credit online, or you can see if there is a low cost clinic in your area. I hope this helps!