|  | 
Category: Feline
Cestodes -- including Dipylidium caninum, Taenia taeniaformis, Taenia pisiformis, Taenia hydratigena, and Echinococcus multilocularis.
Tapeworms
AffectedAnimals:
Dogs and cats of any age, sex, or breed. Although uncommon, cats potentially can spread Echinococcus eggs to a human, making him or her a host that harbors the parasite. A fluid filled sac containing the tapeworm larva can develop in the liver, lung, or other organ of the person -- this can lead to illness and possibly even death.
Overview:
An intestinal parasite frequently found in felines, tapeworms infect a cat when it ingests a host such as a rodent, a rabbit, or an adult flea harboring infective tapeworm larvae. There are two common types of tapeworms in the United States: Taenia, which comes from rodents or rabbits, and Dipylidium, which is transmitted by fleas. Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaformis are the tapeworms found most commonly in cats.
Cats with adult tapeworms release a proglottid -- a mature body segment from the tail end of a tapeworm containing eggs -- into the digestive tract. These segments can be noted on the fur around the anus or in the feces. Tapeworms occasionally irritate a cat's rear end and cause itching, but generally do not pose a severe health risk to the animal. Underweight cats and young kittens can lose valuable nutrients to tapeworms and fail to gain weight. Medications are available that effectively eliminate the parasite, although they can become reinfected quickly if preventive measures are not initiated.
|