Are passed tapeworm segments from a cat "alive"? Can the eggs in the segment hatch and infest a blanket?

Question

My kitten had tapeworm and we gave her worming medication. We found worm segments on our bed where she sometimes groomed herself and vacuumed them; the segments looked like sesame seeds or rice. Are these segments actually "alive"? Can the eggs hatch and infest the house? How to get rid of them if so? My kitten is now (hopefully) worm free but I keep worrying about the segments that I might have missed in my cleaning. I don't want them to infect me, my cat or to infest the house.

Thanks for all the answers. Of course we took her to a vet. He gave her a pill for tapeworm (don't know the name, but no more segments) and applied StrongHold on her back. Can alcohol kill the segments?

Answer 1

The tape segments you are seeing are actually little egg packets, and while they can wiggle, they are not alive. They burst and the eggs are ingested by fleas, where they develop into larvae. When your cat has fleas and grooms herself, she will ingest a flea or two, and that's how she gets tapeworms. The fleas are the intermediate host, and without them, your cat can't get tapes. It only makes sense to clean them all up, but as long as you keep you cat flea free, she won't get tapes. Good question-- sorry you've gotten some stupid answers.

Answer 2

Often cats get tapeworms if they've accidentally eaten a flea, so your cat obviously has fleas and being dried up these tapeworm eggs are dead, you will need to wash all linens and steam the furniture(vaccuming will help too) keep your cat in a carrier or cage until your able to take to a vet, there are also flea treatments and tapewroms treatments that you can buy at a local petstore, phone your vet for further information. If you have more than one cat you may want to use a lfea treatment on them to and a vet checkup wouldnt hurt too!! Book an appointment with your doctor to assure that you dont have a tapeworm or round worm.

Answer 3

Segments breaking off and being passed out the anus is the typical way of tapeworms reproducing and spreading. The unsuspecting victims then ingest the cast off segments. When the segment gets to the digestive system of the new host, they dig in and become new tapeworms. If the segments you saw were cast off after the deworming treatments, then they are probably dead. However, the entire worm should be cast out with the feces of the cat. As your other respondents said, you should vacuum the bedding, floors, clothing and wash them thoroughly to minimize the possibility of anybody ingesting one of the cast off segments.

Answer 4

Tapeworm Eggs

Answer 5

The worms can only infect your or another pet if you other another animal eat a live segment or a piece of poop. I would wash the bedding in hot water. And also put your kitten on a monthly worm and flea preventative because if your kitten ingests a flea they can get tapeworms. Merry Christmas

Answer 6

Cat Tapeworm

Answer 7

What kind of wormer did you give? Some wormers only work for certain worms like roundworms. You need special medicine designed specifically for tapeworms. Get it from your vet. Yes, the worms are alive.

Answer 8

I think these are just pieces of the main worm in the body that have broken off and are coming out. I don't think they live outside of the body long, they dry up, so your safe unless you go digesting infected fleas! :) But I would still wash your sheets in hot water!

Answer 9

If you've been cleaning well, you shouldn't have to worry. Be sure to get the litter box good, sterlize it well. Kitty can become reinfected through the segments. Humans can become infected too, but I haven't seen it personally.

Answer 10

The segments you saw were alive, and can infect other animals or you. Your best defense is to wash the blankets and bedding in hot water if possible. At least wash them well, if you can't use hot water.