Oh god, cat is riddled with worms

[feesh]

Just worked out what the white eggy things are that he's been leaving on the furniture

He's got rice grains around his bum, so it's tapeworm. Vet is giving me a series of long term treatments later as he said it might take a while to shift such a bad case.

Do I need to treat the kids? And me? I am pregnant, should I be worried?

I am so grossed out, absolutely hate the idea of anything living in me or on me!

I've never heard of people getting them from cats. I don't think you need to worry. Just treat him.

Thanks. I have safely deposited the first worming tablet down his throat.

I think that worms are host specific, they would only survive if ingested by another cat. However I do think there are some worms that can cause eye problems in people. I'll go and research...........

A quick google suggests that it's highly unlikely you'll get tape worms from the cat. It's roundworms that are more dangerous to humans apparently.

You need to worm your cat regularly, usually monthly, poor thing

Costa is right. Why have you not been worming your cat properly? Poor cat.

We use advocate monthly. It counters most worms.
A spot on (can be a Drontal pill) six monthly does the rest.
You need to start a similar regime. Speak to your GP or mw if you're concerned.
Do you treat for fleas? If not that's a whole new problem.

Yes worms and fleas usually go together

I do normally worm him, but we just moved countries and I recently found out I was pregnant so it's been overlooked. I don't normally bother over the summer anyway as it's 40 degrees plus and he doesn't go out and nothing survives out there anyway. But in the last few weeks he's started going out again, and has caught at least one bird and one lizard in that time; hence the worms. It's been niggling away that I should worm him, but having spent the last 10 weeks either in bed or throwing up it's not been top priority. Lesson well and truly learned.

We don't get fleas here; I checked with the vet today

er, where are you that there are NO FLEAS?

No fleas, really? I live in a country with 40 degree summer temps, our dogs and cats still get fleas and worms

40 degrees C or F? fleas like heat!! They would love 40 degrees C.

Maybe it doesn't get above 10 degreesC as summer highs where OP lives? And those would be the indoor temps.

High altitude I'm guessing?

Poor cat. I would still worm him in the summer, I wouldn't want to take a chance as it's not fair on him. I would also flea him, regardless of what the vet says! We use Advocate monthly and Profender quarterly.

Find a new vet. Our vet has told me that tapeworm come from fleas. It's not about catching prey.

With the life cycle of tapeworms, I think you need to eat your cat to get infected. There is an intermediary stage in the non-target host, then another cat needs to eat you to be infested with the adult tapeworms. Intermediary is called an oocyst if I remember correctly.

There are definitely no fleas out here - we are in the Middle East and I knew that already from the last country we were in. But I just double checked it with the vet anyway yesterday.

We do get ticks and I picked up a Frontline for him yesterday anyway.

I do know what I'm doing; I've been keeping and rescuing cats since I was 8 and both of these are rescues.

I've just had a really bad few months and took my eye off the ball is all.

The tapeworms in Europe do have a link to fleas in their life cycle - I am aware of this. Presumably it's a different species over here. There are no wild mammals here so things are a little different.

The ticks are linked to camels and the camel poo that's commonly used to fertilise flower beds.

There are wild mammals, I was being slightly facetious with that comment, but they are only out in the desert and in such low numbers that I've only ever seen one (a desert fox) in many years here and it was miles from civilisation. It's not like the UK where you've got hedhehogs and rodents scurrying around.

Ah - very dry conditions. I was thinking of high altitude but it's often the dryness that can come with that that can affect the situation. (Although in high and dry areas, such things as rodent burrows can harbour the blighters.)

I reckon you're probably OK but why not have a little word with your doctor while the cat's treatment is ongoing. Just to ease your own mind.

I got worms when I was 16 and the GP said it was from the cats. Mind you she was a rubbish GP.