# Help ID this worm from my cat

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 25, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992 "2011-03-25T18:21:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992/1 "2011-03-25T18:21:07Z")

</div>

(need answer fast)

Waiting for the vet to call me back. Hookworm? Ringworm? Something else? Came from the feces ☹

> **[ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](https://imageshack.com/)**
>
> Unlimited space to host images, easy to use image uploader, albums, photo hosting, sharing, dynamic image resizing on web and mobile.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992/2 "2011-03-25T19:52:38Z")

</div>

Ringworm is a skin fungal infection, so that is not.

It is too big for hookworm.

From the picture, either roundworm (Ascaris leonina, IIRC) or some type of tapeworm. I’m leaning towards tapeworm because it looks flatter and segmented. Roundworms are, well, round.

Have you given your cat a dewormer recently? Is your cat an inside/outside cat that may have access to fleas? Have you noticed “rice grains” in your cat’s poop recently?

Fear not, as tapeworms do not generally cause disease in dogs and cats.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cordylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@cordylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cordylus)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992/3 "2011-03-25T20:19:31Z")

</div>

Roundworm 🙂  
Been there myself 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992/4 "2011-03-26T02:07:30Z")

</div>

> [@KarlGrenze](#):
>
> Have you given your cat a dewormer recently? Is your cat an inside/outside cat that may have access to fleas? Have you noticed “rice grains” in your cat’s poop recently?

No dewormer ever. Inside cat except when she gets out, she’s back inside within a minute or two. No rice grains. Vet gave some medicine for deworming. Says its tapeworm :mad:

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992/5 "2011-03-26T03:05:19Z")

</div>

If it is tapeworm, it most likely got in contact with a flea, as they are the carriers of one of the most common tapeworm species in cats.

Like I said, tapeworms are more an “ugly nuisance” than a real harm to your pet. But it is a heads up that your cat has come in contact, at least recently, with fleas.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-worm-from-my-cat/575992/6 "2011-03-26T04:12:43Z")

</div>

This is way up there, maybe top five of “links MikeG will not click on”.