I have two outdoor cats who, though they have 100 acres to raom, pretty much hang out on the porch.

One has worms (you can see them on her anus.) The other shows no signs of worms. We have treated them both with the Hatz over-the-counter liquid with no noticeable improvement.

I took our lab to the vet for his rabies shot two days ago. I was told NOT to bother bringing in the infested cat as I'd be given a stronger medicine. If that didn't work, THEN she could be cultured (or whatever they do to figure out the kind of worm.)

Well, the first question the vet asked was "what kind of worm is it?" "It's a white, wiggly, gross worm" didn't seem to quite satisfy him.

He gave me two pills - one for each cat. He said it sounded like a tapeworm, and each segment that is dropping from Cat #1's butt can re-infect cats, dogs, etc.

SO, what I want to know is (because this vet didn't seem interested in educating me in the least) what should I do, short of re-treating the poor cats every week or shooting them? I have no idea where they do their business. They sleep curled up in a barrel we keep full of cardboard scraps for starting fires (which I now refuse to touch!)

EEEEWWWW EEEEEEWWWWWW EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

This has me freaked out - can people get tapeworms from cats? Is there any way to disinfect their favorite spots or is that even a waste of time? Does it seem weird to get tapeworm in the WINTER when there isn't much "game" (ground squirrels and birds) around yet and the ground has been pretty much frozen since December?

Anyone out there an expert on cats, worms, appropriate medicines, tapeworms or HOW TO CHOOSE A DECENT VET IN A TINY RURAL AREA????

Thanks in advance!

-- Elizabeth (hemsley@hdo.net), March 01, 2002

Answers

Sounds like a tape worm.I brought my cat in one time and they gave it a shot and then she gained a lot of weight rapidly (she's an indoor cat) If your cats are skinny it probably is a tape worm...and the only way you can get that worm is to injest the worm...not from touching the worm (thats what the vet said) But like you said it is very gross...the tape worms my cat had would take on different shapes. Over counter medicine will not make it go away (I tried using that)

-- Judi (lightnbug@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

Might look at this CDC site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/dipylidium/factsht_dipylidium. htm Cats and dogs get tapeworms by swallowing a flea infected with a tapeworm larvae. A dog or cat may swallow a flea while grooming. Once the flea is digested inside the dog or cat, the larval tapeworm is free to develop into an adult tapeworm.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 01, 2002.

If you can see the worms then they are likely to be tapeworms. Sometimes all you see are the dried up segments that look a bit like cucumber seeds stck to the fur around the rear end. Many of the "over the counter" worm products do not deal with tapeworms. You either need to purchase an "all-wormer" from your vet - make sure it covers tapeworms - the one they gave you should be fine. Or I think you have an injectible product for cats in the US. Adult cats and dogs should be wormed every three months with an "all-wormer". In the control of the Dipylidium tapeworms it is important also to control fleas (the fleas are the intermediate host for the worm) - so if you control the fleas then the pet is less likely to pick up the tapeworm.

The tapeworms found in pets do not infect humans. A good vacumn around their sitting areas and washing of their bedding should reduce much of the environment contamination of eggs/segments. Regular worming (3 monthly) with the appropriate wormer will see the end to your problem!

Good Luck

-- Cowvet (cowvet_nz@hotmail.com), March 02, 2002.

Go to your local feed mill. They will help you buy the right wormers for your dogs and cats. Happy Jack makes excellent wormers. I have seen that Safeguard, Panacure, does not work for tapeworms, even if given 5 days in a row. Happy Jack has purple pills for dogs (not sure for cats) that gets roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. I use that once a month. It takes a month for the tapeworm to get big enough to see, so they've had them a while. Amonia is a good desinfectant to spray around the porch.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), March 02, 2002.

Pets Megastore has Droncit tapeworm tablets for dogs and cats. Bettie

-- Bettie Ferguson (jobett@dixie-net.com), March 02, 2002.

We give our one inside/outside cat Droncit 4 times a year. We got it from the vet as I didn't know we could go buy it. It works.

-- DW (djwallace@sotc.net), March 02, 2002.

We have indoor/outdoor cats also. Our vet will give me the pills when I ask for them. Usually a couple times of year I need them. They say if they eat any kind of outside animals ( I wonder what other kind of animals their are??) well...that they will get worms or a tape worm. Just a part of life..for them...I guess.. Good Luck !!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), March 03, 2002.

Hoegger's has an herbal wormer we give our goats, and chickens, and will be starting on our dogs. I will be growing and making it myself in the summer. Quassia is for tapeworms which I can't grow...but mulberry bark IS for tapeworms!

The Hoegger stuff is all general natural wormers that you give for 3 days, and then weekly.

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), March 04, 2002.