tapeworm contagious?

my cat has tapeworm, and i was just wondering if it is contagious, and if so, what i need to do to prevent contracting it. thank you!
amy

I was told by my vet that tapeworm cannot be transmitted from pet to pet. The animal gets them from eating fleas.

From what I recall there is a different tapeworm for every host so the dog has a different than a human or a cat

Actually if you have more than one cat and one cat has tapes, the others can get tapes if they mutually groom each other and if the cat has fleas. Or if they find a mouse or bird and eat that, they can get tapes.

You should always wear rubber gloves when handling litter pans. It's the best rule of thumb.

I just scheduled my 2 for a de-worming tomorrow, & I asked the lady if it was contagious cuz Mini sleeps with us. She said no, in other words, but it's not healthy, as in take care of it asap. I was talking to a guy at work about it, & he said he knew some people that got them, but they were REALLY scummy. They had like 5 cats, & kept the litter box near where they stored dry goods..they must have gotten into the food or something & the kids ended up with worms.
I think it is a given if you have more than one animal the vet would want to treat all of them. I have to take my 2 both at once, this should be one interesting afternoon!
I am pretty freaked out about it, too & will probably come home & start cleaning the entire apartment, thinking there are worm segments everywhere. Ugh!