What Are Tapeworms in Cats? And How Do Vets Treat Them?

Tapeworms are long, white and flat segmented worms that can live in the small intestines of cats, dogs and some other mammals. They contain both male and female reproductive organs and use their hook-like mouthparts to anchor to the inside of the intestinal wall. There are three types of tapeworms that can infect felines:

1. Dipylidium caninum
2. Taenia species
3. Echinococcus species

All three typically use other animals, called an intermediate host, to enter a cat’s body.

Taenia and Echinococcus tapeworms can infect wild rodents and rabbits, in addition to house pets. When cats eat these infected prey animals, the parasite infects the cat. The most common tapeworm found in pet cats is Dipylidium caninum, also known as  the “flea tapeworm.”

This intestinal parasite has earned its “flea tapeworm” moniker because it uses a flea as an intermediate host to get into your pet.

Here’s the Dipylidium tapeworm life cycle:

1The cat ingests an adult flea that is carrying tapeworm larvae.

The cycle of infection starts when segmented tapeworm egg packets, called proglottids, are eaten by flea larvae (pre-adult fleas). These tiny flea larvae chew into the tapeworm egg case and consume the eggs inside (microscopic ova).

These eggs then hatch inside the flea larva’s body and wait there through the larva’s development into a bloodsucking adult flea. When the infected adult flea jumps on your cat, the flea is often eaten by your kitty during grooming.

2Tapeworms develop in the cat’s small intestine.

Once swallowed by your cat, the flea is digested, and the tapeworm larva is released unharmed into the cat’s small intestine, where it can then attach to the intestine wall. At this point, it takes about four weeks to grow into a reproducing adult tapeworm, which can measure anywhere from 6–23 inches and produce the segmented egg packets.

3Segments of the tapeworm’s egg-carrying tail are expelled in the cat’s poop.

These segmented egg packets contain up to 20 microscopic eggs and exit the cat’s body through their feces. Once released into the environment, they become ingested by flea larvae, and the cycle starts all over again.

Most cats do not show signs of illness from tapeworm infections.

Cats who have a heavy flea infestation are more likely to end up with large amounts of tapeworms in their intestines, and there is potential for these patients to experience the following common signs of tapeworms in cats:

• Vomiting (due to adult tapeworms becoming detached from the small intestinal wall and migrating to the stomach)
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Poor appetite

You may also spot the tapeworm egg segments in your cat’s litter box or near their anus. Pale yellow and mobile, the Dipylidium proglottids come out with the cat’s feces, but the segments can also migrate from your cat’s anus without the presence of stool.

They are about a quarter of an inch long when fresh and stretched out but begin to dry after leaving the body and become more difficult to see. When dry, they somewhat resemble sesame seeds. Fresh or dry segments can occasionally be seen stuck to the fur around the cat’s anus or moving on the surface of fresh feces.

Tapeworm segments migrating to the anal area may also cause excessive anal itching, which can lead to butt scooting or constant licking of the anal area.

Rarely, a condition called Haw’s syndrome may be associated with heavy tapeworm presence in cats and cause prolapse in the third eyelids (nictitating membranes). This syndrome can occur in severely dehydrated cats, but has also been associated with significant disease of the stomach and intestines due to parasites (such as tapeworms), inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal cancer and viral enteritis. However, the absence of Haw’s syndrome does not rule out intestinal parasite infection or other intestinal disease.

Diagnosing tapeworms in cats can sometimes be difficult. This is in part because kitties are fastidious groomers. Cats can clean the evidence from their backside and bury their stool in the litter box before anyone gets a chance to see the evidence of infection. And fecal flotations, a veterinary test used to diagnose internal parasites or worms in animals, can also come up short when trying to detect tapeworm infection due to the intermittent shedding of the egg-containing segments.

If your veterinarian finds fleas or even just the feces of fleas (aka “flea dirt”) on your cat, they will likely recommend deworming for tapeworms due to the high risk of an existing infection.

The most effective medication for killing tapeworms in cats is praziquantel. It is the only drug that is effective against all species of tapeworm. Praziquantel comes in tablet, injectable and topical forms. There is an OTC praziquantel tablet, Elanco Tapeworm Dewormer Tablets for Cats, as well as a prescription medication called Drontal. Drontal is designed to attack hookworms and roundworms. Elanco offers a praziquantel injection called Droncit, which can be administered by a veterinarian.

While one dose is considered effective to kill adult tapeworms, it is recommended to administer a second dose about two weeks later to kill any remaining or newly introduced tapeworms. Effective flea control must also be used simultaneously to clear and prevent reinfection with Dipylidium worms.

Learn more about flea control in cats.

As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That certainly holds true when it comes to tapeworm infections.

Vigilant and effective flea control for your cat is the first step in preventing infection from the flea tapeworm, Dipylidium. As for the two other types of tapeworms commonly affecting cats, prevention means that kitties who go outside and hunt and consume prey, which serve as intermediate hosts for the parasites, should see their vet every three months for intestinal parasite testing and deworming, whether symptoms are present or not.

See more flea prevention treatments for cats.