Question about testing for worms...

Hi everyone! I've had my 7 months-ish rescue kitty (Vivi) for nearly three months now and have had her stool tested for worms on two separate occasions; both times the test came back negative. Well, last night I found a worm segment on her bottom I'm wondering whether or not I should question the competency of the technicians at the vet hospital or if false negatives can and do happen regularly.

I'm also wondering if this poses any kind of threat to my older cat, Phoebe, since they share a litter box. They don't groom one another, by the way. Phoebe has IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and I hate to give her anything unnecessarily that may trigger an episode. She's actually just now recovering from a flare-up.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

~Nance

A worm segment (looks like a grain of rice) is one of the stages of fleas. I don't know all the details but it is not the same as intestinal worms (tapeworm, roundworm). So she could have tested negative for those but still have the flea larvae, which have come out of her anus.

Double check for fleas and treat them both with a topical (Frontline, Revolution, etc).

Thanks for the response, Ondine. The worm segment is actually long, white and contracts and expands, kind of like what I think a tapeworm would resemble (as a personal disclaimer, I've never seen one). It's pretty thick, too. I saved it in a ziploc and will take it into the vet today for ID'ing.

fecal exams are not always 100%.

In addition, if your cat has fleas, or hunts, she can pick up new parasites at any time. Cats who go outdoors should be treated routinely for worms. Cats with fleas, regardless of whether they go out or not, need to have the flea problem brought under control.

And yes, if one cat has parasites, both cats need to be treated.

Welcome to the forum, I look forward to hearing more about Pheobe and Vivi.

Originally Posted by otto

fecal exams are not always 100%.

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That's reassuring. Our vet is the best in the area (very small town) and I had my fingers crossed that it wasn't an issue of competency, otherwise we'd have to travel about 40 miles to the next closest vet.

In addition, if your cat has fleas, or hunts, she can pick up new parasites at any time.

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Ah ha, that could be the problem right there. Both cats are strictly indoor kitties, but Vivi was infested with fleas when I brought her home (I quite literally rescued her while out on a evening walk around town, bundling up this cold, wet, starving little creature in my jacket and toting her home). Although she'd been isolated in the basement for a couple of days while the flea meds (a pill--Capstar?--and Revolution) took effect, she may have brought one or two upstairs with her and, after doing a bit of research, I guess cats can develop tapeworms at any time if they're exposed to fleas. That would surely explain the negative fecal tests.

And yes, if one cat has parasites, both cats need to be treated.

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Yikes. Do you think doing one month of a topical flea treatment for both cats would eradicate any stray fleas hanging around? I'm sure we don't have a true "infestation" as I haven't seen any flea dirt on their sleeping spots, and going over them with a flea comb doesn't produce anything.

Welcome to the forum, I look forward to hearing more about Pheobe and Vivi.

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Thank you I look forward to getting acquainted with everyone and learning more about cat care.

Since they're both strictly indoor, I think just one or two months of the Revolution combined with the following should do the trick.

Buy a flea collar from the supermarket. Cut it up and put it in your vaccuum cleaner. Vaccuum REALLY thoroughly EVERYTHING. Do this once or twice a week for the next month or so, keeping a cut-up flea collar in there. It will kill any fleas you suck into the vaccuum and isn't a health threat to your cats in the vaccuum. Focus on any carpet, along wall edges, or where floor boards meet up.

That should take care of the problem.

And talk to the vet - they both probably ought to be treated for whatever specific parasite this is.

Thanks for the advice, LDG They couldn't find evidence of worms in the stool samples yet again but they did say that the worm segment looks like roundworm. I gave a Drontal to both kitties and my IBD kitty, Phoebe, vomited it back up shortly after...I don't want to put her through that again, so I think I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that she hasn't caught anything from Vivi and have the fecal test repeated after we find a new vet (for reasons besides the repeat false negatives).