Tapeworm is one of the common internal parasitic diseases in cats. This parasite mainly lives in the intestines of cats. Generally, cats with fleas on their bodies almost always have tapeworms. If you carefully observe the cat's feces, you can clearly see yellow-white tapeworm flakes as big as sesame seeds with the naked eye. This disease can easily lead to malnutrition in cats, which may be severe enough to cause pernicious anemia.

1. Pathogens and Transmission

Tapeworms are a common internal parasitic disease in cats. The tapeworms that can infect cats include: Digenital tapeworm, Taenia tapeworm, Sparganoma mansoni, etc. There are more than ten kinds of tapeworms. The dorsal and ventral sides of tapeworms are flat and consist of several to several segments. Hundreds of body segments make up its body, and the egg-containing body segments are excreted from the cat's body with feces. Tapeworm infection requires the presence of intermediate livestock owners such as mice, rabbits, and squirrels. If the eggs are directly swallowed by cats, they will not hatch. They must develop into larvae in a third host. After cats prey on these third hosts, the larvae They continue to develop into adult worms in the cat's body, causing damage.

2. Symptoms

Clinically, digestive disorders, anorexia, diarrhea, anemia, and chronic enteritis can be seen, but the symptoms are not obvious; proglottids will be excreted in the feces. There are also case reports of tapeworms invading the eyes causing blindness and invading the brain causing cranial nerve disorders.

3. Prevention

Pay attention to environmental hygiene and eliminate intermediate hosts such as rats and fleas to prevent cats from accidentally eating them and becoming infected. The fish and meat fed to cats must be cooked, and regular inspections and deworming are carried out in accordance with the instructions of veterinarians.