Small white bits that look like grains of rice, stuck to your cat's fur, bedding or poop, are most likely tapeworm segments. In most cats the cause is fleas: the cat swallows an infected flea while grooming. A dewormer from your vet clears the worms, but it doesn't stop the next infection. Flea control (or less hunting) does.
The good news: adult tapeworms rarely make cats seriously ill, and the outlook with treatment is excellent. The harder part is keeping them gone.
What tapeworm segments look like
Tapeworms are flat, segmented worms that live in the small intestine. The adult hooks its head into the gut wall and can grow to about 11 inches (30 cm), but you'll rarely see the whole worm. What owners see are the segments, called proglottids, which break off the end of the worm and pass out with the feces. Each one is a little packet of eggs.
What to look for:
- Fresh segments: white, flat, about half an inch (12 mm) long, shaped like a grain of rice or a cucumber seed. They can move, inching across fresh poop or the fur around the anus.
- Dried segments: smaller (about 2 mm), hard and yellowish to golden, like uncooked rice. Look in the fur under the tail, on bedding and in your cat's favorite sleeping spots.
- A whole worm in vomit: now and then a tapeworm lets go of the gut wall, moves into the stomach and the cat vomits up a worm several inches long. Alarming, but it's the same diagnosis.
Many cats show nothing else. Some lick at their rear end or scoot along the floor because the segments irritate the skin, though scooting is much more common in dogs.
Other signs, and the rare serious ones
Most infected cats look healthy. When tapeworms do cause signs, the Merck Veterinary Manual lists an "unthrifty" look (not thriving), a poor or shaggy coat, a fussy appetite and mild diarrhea. Large numbers of worms can cause weight loss.
Serious problems are rare. Merck notes that intestinal blockage, intussusception (the bowel telescoping into itself), severe weight loss and seizures can occur, and CAPC reports occasional Taenia cases that blocked the intestine and needed surgery.
When to call your vet
- Call now: repeated vomiting, a swollen or painful belly, straining without passing any poop, or a weak or collapsed cat. Whatever the cause, these need a same-day exam.
- Call today or book soon: you've seen segments or a worm, or your cat is losing weight or has diarrhea. Bring a sample (see below).
- Mention at your next visit: your cat hunts, or you'd like a flea and deworming plan that fits its lifestyle.
Two tapeworms, two different causes
Cats pick up tapeworms by eating an infected intermediate host, an animal that carries the young stage of the worm. Which host your cat ate decides which tapeworm it has, and that decides how you prevent the next one.
Flea tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) | Hunting tapeworm (Taenia taeniaeformis) | |
|---|---|---|
How cats get it | Swallowing an infected flea while grooming | Eating an infected mouse or rat |
Which cats | Any cat with fleas, including indoor cats | Cats that hunt, mostly outdoor cats |
How common | Probably the most common tapeworm of cats and dogs | Common in hunting cats |
Segments | Rice or cucumber-seed shape | Rectangular |
Prevention | Flea control for every pet in the home | Less hunting, plus a vet plan for hunters |
Other tapeworms, such as Spirometra (from frogs, snakes and other prey along the US East and Gulf Coasts) and fish tapeworms, are uncommon in pet cats.
How the flea tapeworm cycle works
The flea tapeworm can't jump straight from one cat to another. It has to pass through a flea first:
- Segments full of eggs leave your cat in its feces and dry out in the environment.
- Flea larvae living in carpet, bedding or soil eat the tapeworm eggs.
- The young tapeworm develops inside the flea as the flea grows into an adult.
- The adult flea hops onto your cat, and your cat swallows it while grooming.
- The tapeworm is released in the gut, anchors to the wall of the small intestine and starts shedding segments, and the cycle starts again.
So a cat can't get the flea tapeworm by eating eggs or segments, and one cat can't "catch" it from another. Cats in the same house share the fleas, though, which is how several cats end up with tapeworms at once.
How vets diagnose tapeworms
Most often the segments themselves are the diagnosis: your vet sees them around the tail or in a stool sample, or recognizes them from your description.
The routine fecal test (fecal flotation, where stool is mixed with a solution so eggs float up for the microscope) often misses tapeworms, because the eggs stay locked inside the segments. CAPC calls fecal flotation alone "insensitive" for tapeworms, so a negative result doesn't rule them out. Your vet can crush a segment on a slide and look for the egg packets under the microscope, and lab PCR tests can confirm the species when it matters.
Bring evidence. Pick a few segments off the fur or bedding with a tissue, or bring a fresh stool sample, in a sealed bag or clean jar. Wash your hands afterward.
Treatment: a dewormer your vet chooses
The drugs of choice for the flea tapeworm are praziquantel and epsiprantel. Praziquantel comes as tablets, spot-on products and an injection your vet gives, and there are combined flea and worm products your vet may recommend. Your veterinarian chooses the product and the dose for your cat's weight and the type of tapeworm.
VCA notes that the most effective tapeworm products are prescription-only. Some dewormers are sold over the counter; ask your vet which one and confirm the weight band.
These drugs cause the worm to be digested in the gut, so you usually won't see dead worms afterward. VCA describes them as very safe. If your cat seems unwell after treatment, call your vet.
A common mix-up: fenbendazole (Panacur), the broad dewormer many owners know from their dogs, covers Taenia but not the flea tapeworm, according to Merck. As our Panacur guide explains, the dog label says the same. If your cat has the flea tapeworm, it needs one of the drugs above.
There are no proven home remedies for tapeworms. If your cat is hard to medicate, ask your vet about a spot-on or an injection, or read our tips on how to give a cat a pill.
Why tapeworms keep coming back
"We treated it and the rice grains are back" is the classic tapeworm complaint. The dewormer kills the worms your cat has today. It doesn't protect against the next flea or the next mouse.
- Fleas are still in the house. VCA says recurrent tapeworm infections are almost always reinfection from fleas, and in a flea-infested home a cat can be reinfected in as little as two weeks.
- Your cat is still hunting. A cat that keeps eating mice can pass Taenia segments again within about six to eight weeks.
- Rarely, drug resistance. Merck notes that in 2018, flea tapeworms resistant to praziquantel and epsiprantel were described in multiple US states. If segments keep coming back despite good flea control, tell your vet.
Stopping tapeworms for good
Prevention follows the route of infection:
- Treat every pet for fleas, year-round. CAPC recommends year-round flea control for all cats and says every pet in the home must be treated, not just the itchy one. Your vet will pick a cat-safe product. Never use a dog flea product on a cat: the ASPCA warns that permethrin, found in some dog products, can cause severe tremors and seizures in cats. Our guide to external parasite prevention for cats covers the options.
- Clean the places fleas grow. Flea eggs fall off the cat and develop in carpets, under furniture and in bedding. Merck advises thorough vacuuming where pets sleep or rest (including sofa crevices) and washing pet blankets, throw rugs and carriers. CAPC warns that an established infestation can take several months to bring under control, so keep going.
- Cut down hunting. Keeping cats indoors is the most reliable way to prevent Taenia. Torn on that? See our look at indoor vs outdoor cats. For cats that keep hunting, your vet may recommend regular deworming and will set the plan.
- Keep up basic hygiene. Scoop the litter box daily, keep children away from areas soiled with animal feces, and wash hands after handling pets, litter or garden soil.
Can people catch tapeworms from cats?
Rarely, and not by petting your cat. People get the flea tapeworm the same way cats do: by swallowing an infected flea. The CDC says most reported cases are in children. CAPC describes the infection in children as generally mild and easily treated by a doctor, though understandably upsetting for families. Good flea control on your pets is the best protection.
Cat Taenia tapeworms pose an extremely low risk to people in North America, according to CAPC. The pork and beef tapeworms that infect people don't infect cats at all.
One rare tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis, is the exception: cats that hunt wild rodents can pick it up, and its eggs in their feces can cause serious liver disease in people. CAPC rates the overall risk in North America as low and suggests keeping cats indoors. If you're worried about a family member, talk to your doctor.
Tapeworms, roundworms and pinworms
Worm | What you might see | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Tapeworm | Flat, rice-like segments on fur, bedding or poop; sometimes a long flat worm in vomit | Comes from fleas or prey |
Roundworm | A round, tube-shaped worm without segments, occasionally in stool or vomit | Kittens can get them through their mother's milk; people, especially children, can be infected |
Pinworm | Nothing: cats don't get pinworms | If a child has pinworms, they didn't come from the cat |
Questions to ask your vet
- Is this the flea tapeworm or the hunting one?
- Which dewormer suits my cat, and does it cover other worms too?
- Do my other pets need treatment as well?
- Which flea product should each pet use, and how do I tackle the house?
- My cat hunts: what deworming plan do you recommend?
FAQ
Can indoor cats get tapeworms?
Yes. Fleas ride into homes on people and other pets, and an indoor cat that swallows one while grooming can get the flea tapeworm. Indoor cats that catch house mice can get Taenia too. Merck calls flea control critical for tapeworm control "even for indoor cats."
Do I need to keep my cat away from my other cats?
No. Cats don't catch tapeworms from each other, so there's no need to separate them. They do share fleas, so treat every pet for fleas and ask your vet whether the other cats need a dewormer.
Can I treat tapeworms at home without a vet?
Home remedies don't work. Some dewormers are sold over the counter, but check with your vet first: they'll confirm it's a tapeworm (and look for other worms), pick a product that covers the right one and set up the flea plan that stops it coming back.
Originally written by Dr Stavroula Tsovolou. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Tapeworms in Dogs and Cats
- Merck Veterinary Manual (pet owner version): Gastrointestinal Parasites of Cats
- Merck Veterinary Manual (pet owner version): Fleas of Cats
- CAPC: Dipylidium caninum
- CAPC: Taenia
- CAPC: Echinococcus spp.
- CAPC: Fleas
- CDC: About Dog or Cat Tapeworm Infection
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Tapeworm Infection in Cats
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Roundworm Infection in Cats
- ASPCA: Not All Pets Are the Same: Why Species Matters for Pet Toxins
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
