Just like with humans, there are a lot of diseases and medical issues that can affect a cat’s health. Those medical problems are most often the result of genetics or environmental factors. One problem that comes from the environment and commonly affects cats is worms. Worms aren’t a disease caused by a virus or bacteria, but rather a parasite. There are different species of worms, and while humans don’t usually have to worry about their cat transmitting certain diseases to them, worms are one exception. Not all types of worms that a cat has can affect humans. But there are certain types of worms that humans can get from cats, typically those that live in a cat’s intestines. In this article, we’ll explain which types of worms commonly affect cats, which ones can affect humans, and how to treat your cat and yourself if you do become infected.
What Worms Can Cats Get? The reality is that no matter how careful and how well you take care of your cat, there are some instances that just can’t be avoided and could cause them to get worms. That’s why it is important to know what types of worms cats can get and how they might become infected in the first place. Let’s look at which types of worms are most likely to infect your cat. Roundworms
Roundworms are one of the most common types of worms that your cat can get. They are so common that almost all cats will get them at some point in their life. They usually infect your cat’s intestines and can cause serious illness and even death, especially in kittens. Roundworms are typically around 3-6 inches long and have a rounded body. They swim around inside your cat’s intestines and can affect his or her eating habits, appearance, and growth. The reason why roundworms are so common in cats is because of how they are transmitted. In kittens, roundworms are most often transmitted through the mother cat’s milk during nursing. But how did the mother cat get the worms in the first place? Or what if your cat didn’t have roundworms as a kitten but now has them? The other most likely cause of your cat having roundworms is due to your cat ingesting something else that was infected with roundworms. Roundworm eggs or larvae can be found inside a “host,” typically insects, birds, or rodents. Since cats are natural-born hunters who tend to prey on bugs, birds, and mice, it’s highly possible that they could get roundworms by ingesting an infected “host.”
Hookworms
Hookworms are another type of worm that commonly infects cats. Like roundworms, hookworms also live in your cat’s intestines. However, they are only about ⅛ of an inch long and are very hard to see as a result. Hookworms attach to your cat’s intestines via a mouthpart that acts as a hook. Once they are attached, they feed off the tissues that line your cat’s intestines as well as the blood inside the tissues. As long as you’re taking care of your cat properly and he isn’t in an overcrowded or unsanitary living area, he isn’t likely to get hookworms. This is because hookworms are mostly found in feces, but their eggs are so small that they can’t be seen with a microscope. A cat can get hookworms by walking across an area where a lot of feces is located or an area where it once was because hookworm larvae can live in the soil as well. When a cat grooms their feet afterward, it can ingest the hookworm larvae, which then travels through its digestive tract and into the intestines. Once inside the intestines, it takes between 2-3 weeks for a hookworm to fully grow and mature, so you may not even know that your cat has become infected for several weeks.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are a third common intestinal parasite that cats can get. Like hookworms, they also attach to the wall of your cat’s intestine and feed off of it. But due to the flat body shape of tapeworms, they aren’t considered to be in the same family as hookworms. Tapeworms typically live in a cat’s small intestine. They can grow up to 11 inches long and parts of the worm are often passed in your cat’s feces. Because of their size, it will be very noticeable if your cat is infected with tapeworms. The part of a tapeworm that usually passes in a cat’s feces is the part that contains the eggs. It will eventually break open as it dries out, causing the eggs to be released into the environment. If you live in a multi-cat household, this can cause your other cats to become infected as well, particularly if they have fleas. Flea larvae usually consume tapeworm eggs, at which point the egg grows into a tapeworm larva inside the flea. If a flea gets on your cat, then your cat could ingest the flea and the tapeworm as a result. Your cat isn’t likely going to become infected with tapeworms just by ingesting the egg, because the flea has to act as a host first.
Heartworms
Unlike the other worms we’ve looked at so far, heartworms aren’t intestinal parasites. Rather, they are blood-borne parasites that affect your cat’s heart, lungs, and bloodstream. As you can imagine, heartworms are dangerous for your cat because they can interfere with his heart and lung function. Heartworms are much more prevalent in dogs than they are in cats. But they can still affect cats, even cats that live indoors only. These worms can be between 3 and 14 inches long as adults depending on if the worms are male or female. When cats do have heartworms, they tend to have six or fewer adult worms at one time. The main cause of heartworms in cats is due to mosquitos. Since heartworms are blood-borne, mosquitos usually act as a host. When a mosquito bites an animal that is infected with heartworms, the larvae are transmitted from the bloodstream into the mosquito. When that same mosquito bites your cat, he can transmit the larvae into your cat’s bloodstream as well. After the larvae make their way into your cat’s heart, they mature into adult worms.
What Types of Worms Can Cats Pass to Humans? Although there are several types of worms that affect cats, there are only some of them that typically affect humans. Only intestinal parasites post any inherent risk to humans, which means that you don’t have to worry about getting heartworms from your cat. The reason why intestinal worms can infect humans is that they are passed through a cat’s feces. Since humans are responsible for cleaning the litter box, they are more likely to come into contact with them. But not all types of intestinal worms pose the same risk for humans. Roundworms and hookworms are the most common types of worms that humans can get from cats, but the method of transmission for the two is different. For example, roundworms usually have to be ingested. Of course, this would be accidental ingestion, but it usually happens as a result of not washing your hands after cleaning the litter box or cleaning up your cat’s vomit and then preparing food. It sounds gross, but it can happen. Image Credit: Yuliya Alekseeva, Shutterstock Although hookworms tend to affect mostly the intestines of cats, they can affect the skin of humans. They do this by hooking onto your skin when cleaning the litter box or walking somewhere where your cat has thrown up or used the bathroom. Once they have attached to your skin, they can enter your body through your bloodstream and infect your intestines as well. One type of intestinal parasite that you don’t really have to worry about getting from your cat is tapeworms. This is partially due to the fact that tapeworms are more noticeable when your cat has them and they can be treated more quickly before you have the chance to become infected. But another reason that humans don’t tend to get infected from tapeworms that they got from their cat is that there are very few species of tapeworm that actually cause serious disease in humans. The species that do cause serious disease aren’t found in all countries, typically those in colder climates. But, in the event that you do become infected with a tapeworm, there are also medications that are more widely available for treatment. Can Humans Get Worms From Fleas? Theoretically, humans could get worms from fleas, but the chances are low. It’s important to remember that the only type of worm that fleas typically carry are tapeworms. Since tapeworms usually have to be ingested in order to be transmitted, it’s likely that you won’t get them just by being bitten by a flea that was on your cat. You’d have to ingest a flea that was carrying a tapeworm in order to have the greatest chance of getting infected. What Are Symptoms of Worms in Humans? In the event that you were to get worms from your cat, you likely wouldn’t know for a couple of weeks. You wouldn’t start showing symptoms until the worms became fully mature, and sometimes you may not have symptoms at all depending on the severity of the infection. But if you do experience symptoms, they are pretty similar to the symptoms that your cat may experience as well. Symptoms of intestinal worms in both cats and humans include:
Abdominal pain or distension
Blood in urine or feces
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Gas and bloating
Nausea and vomiting
Weight loss or inability to gain weight
Image Credit: Towfiqu barbhuiya, Unsplash How Are Worms in Humans Treated? If you are experiencing a number of the symptoms listed above, it’s a good idea to seek treatment. In the event that you are diagnosed with intestinal worms, you’ll likely be given an antiparasitic medication that will work to kill the worms. The exact type of medication that you’re given will depend on the type of worm you have as well as the severity of the infection. Usually, the worms will be gone within a few weeks when taking the proper medication. How Can You Protect Your Cat and Yourself Worms? The best way to protect yourself from getting worms from your cat is to protect your cat from getting worms in the first place. Keeping your cat indoors can prevent him from coming into contact with disease-carrying insects and animals. If fleas are a problem, then it is important to give your cat flea medication to keep him from becoming infected. If you do notice that your cat has worms, it’s best to take him to a veterinarian immediately so that your cat can get started on a dewormer medication. And finally, wear gloves and make sure that you are washing your hands thoroughly immediately after changing your cat’s litter to prevent any potential worm infection from happening.
Final Thoughts Although it isn’t an incredibly common thing to happen, there are certain types of worms that a human can get from a cat if you aren’t careful, especially roundworms and hookworms. If you do suspect that you or your cat has worms, it’s important to seek medical treatment immediately. Taking preventative measures ahead of time can help minimize the risk that you or your cat gets infected with worms in the first place. You may also want to read:
7 Best Cat Dewormers – Reviews & Top Picks My Cat Has Worms – How Do I Clean My House?
Featured Image Credit by: New Africa, Shutterstock
Just like with humans, there are a lot of diseases and medical issues that can affect a cat’s health. Those medical problems are most often the result of genetics or environmental factors.
One problem that comes from the environment and commonly affects cats is worms.
Worms aren’t a disease caused by a virus or bacteria, but rather a parasite. There are different species of worms, and while humans don’t usually have to worry about their cat transmitting certain diseases to them, worms are one exception.
Not all types of worms that a cat has can affect humans. But there are certain types of worms that humans can get from cats, typically those that live in a cat’s intestines. In this article, we’ll explain which types of worms commonly affect cats, which ones can affect humans, and how to treat your cat and yourself if you do become infected.
What Worms Can Cats Get?
The reality is that no matter how careful and how well you take care of your cat, there are some instances that just can’t be avoided and could cause them to get worms. That’s why it is important to know what types of worms cats can get and how they might become infected in the first place. Let’s look at which types of worms are most likely to infect your cat.
Roundworms
Roundworms are one of the most common types of worms that your cat can get. They are so common that almost all cats will get them at some point in their life. They usually infect your cat’s intestines and can cause serious illness and even death, especially in kittens.
Roundworms are typically around 3-6 inches long and have a rounded body. They swim around inside your cat’s intestines and can affect his or her eating habits, appearance, and growth.
The reason why roundworms are so common in cats is because of how they are transmitted. In kittens, roundworms are most often transmitted through the mother cat’s milk during nursing. But how did the mother cat get the worms in the first place? Or what if your cat didn’t have roundworms as a kitten but now has them?
The other most likely cause of your cat having roundworms is due to your cat ingesting something else that was infected with roundworms. Roundworm eggs or larvae can be found inside a “host,” typically insects, birds, or rodents. Since cats are natural-born hunters who tend to prey on bugs, birds, and mice, it’s highly possible that they could get roundworms by ingesting an infected “host.”
Hookworms
Hookworms are another type of worm that commonly infects cats. Like roundworms, hookworms also live in your cat’s intestines. However, they are only about ⅛ of an inch long and are very hard to see as a result.
Hookworms attach to your cat’s intestines via a mouthpart that acts as a hook. Once they are attached, they feed off the tissues that line your cat’s intestines as well as the blood inside the tissues.
As long as you’re taking care of your cat properly and he isn’t in an overcrowded or unsanitary living area, he isn’t likely to get hookworms. This is because hookworms are mostly found in feces, but their eggs are so small that they can’t be seen with a microscope.
A cat can get hookworms by walking across an area where a lot of feces is located or an area where it once was because hookworm larvae can live in the soil as well. When a cat grooms their feet afterward, it can ingest the hookworm larvae, which then travels through its digestive tract and into the intestines. Once inside the intestines, it takes between 2-3 weeks for a hookworm to fully grow and mature, so you may not even know that your cat has become infected for several weeks.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are a third common intestinal parasite that cats can get. Like hookworms, they also attach to the wall of your cat’s intestine and feed off of it. But due to the flat body shape of tapeworms, they aren’t considered to be in the same family as hookworms.
Tapeworms typically live in a cat’s small intestine. They can grow up to 11 inches long and parts of the worm are often passed in your cat’s feces. Because of their size, it will be very noticeable if your cat is infected with tapeworms.
The part of a tapeworm that usually passes in a cat’s feces is the part that contains the eggs. It will eventually break open as it dries out, causing the eggs to be released into the environment. If you live in a multi-cat household, this can cause your other cats to become infected as well, particularly if they have fleas.
Flea larvae usually consume tapeworm eggs, at which point the egg grows into a tapeworm larva inside the flea. If a flea gets on your cat, then your cat could ingest the flea and the tapeworm as a result. Your cat isn’t likely going to become infected with tapeworms just by ingesting the egg, because the flea has to act as a host first.
Heartworms
Unlike the other worms we’ve looked at so far, heartworms aren’t intestinal parasites. Rather, they are blood-borne parasites that affect your cat’s heart, lungs, and bloodstream. As you can imagine, heartworms are dangerous for your cat because they can interfere with his heart and lung function.
Heartworms are much more prevalent in dogs than they are in cats. But they can still affect cats, even cats that live indoors only. These worms can be between 3 and 14 inches long as adults depending on if the worms are male or female. When cats do have heartworms, they tend to have six or fewer adult worms at one time.
The main cause of heartworms in cats is due to mosquitos. Since heartworms are blood-borne, mosquitos usually act as a host. When a mosquito bites an animal that is infected with heartworms, the larvae are transmitted from the bloodstream into the mosquito. When that same mosquito bites your cat, he can transmit the larvae into your cat’s bloodstream as well. After the larvae make their way into your cat’s heart, they mature into adult worms.
What Types of Worms Can Cats Pass to Humans?
Although there are several types of worms that affect cats, there are only some of them that typically affect humans. Only intestinal parasites post any inherent risk to humans, which means that you don’t have to worry about getting heartworms from your cat.
The reason why intestinal worms can infect humans is that they are passed through a cat’s feces. Since humans are responsible for cleaning the litter box, they are more likely to come into contact with them. But not all types of intestinal worms pose the same risk for humans.
Roundworms and hookworms are the most common types of worms that humans can get from cats, but the method of transmission for the two is different. For example, roundworms usually have to be ingested. Of course, this would be accidental ingestion, but it usually happens as a result of not washing your hands after cleaning the litter box or cleaning up your cat’s vomit and then preparing food. It sounds gross, but it can happen.
Although hookworms tend to affect mostly the intestines of cats, they can affect the skin of humans. They do this by hooking onto your skin when cleaning the litter box or walking somewhere where your cat has thrown up or used the bathroom. Once they have attached to your skin, they can enter your body through your bloodstream and infect your intestines as well.
One type of intestinal parasite that you don’t really have to worry about getting from your cat is tapeworms. This is partially due to the fact that tapeworms are more noticeable when your cat has them and they can be treated more quickly before you have the chance to become infected.
But another reason that humans don’t tend to get infected from tapeworms that they got from their cat is that there are very few species of tapeworm that actually cause serious disease in humans. The species that do cause serious disease aren’t found in all countries, typically those in colder climates. But, in the event that you do become infected with a tapeworm, there are also medications that are more widely available for treatment.
Can Humans Get Worms From Fleas?
Theoretically, humans could get worms from fleas, but the chances are low. It’s important to remember that the only type of worm that fleas typically carry are tapeworms. Since tapeworms usually have to be ingested in order to be transmitted, it’s likely that you won’t get them just by being bitten by a flea that was on your cat. You’d have to ingest a flea that was carrying a tapeworm in order to have the greatest chance of getting infected.
What Are Symptoms of Worms in Humans?
In the event that you were to get worms from your cat, you likely wouldn’t know for a couple of weeks. You wouldn’t start showing symptoms until the worms became fully mature, and sometimes you may not have symptoms at all depending on the severity of the infection.
But if you do experience symptoms, they are pretty similar to the symptoms that your cat may experience as well. Symptoms of intestinal worms in both cats and humans include:
Abdominal pain or distension
Blood in urine or feces
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Gas and bloating
Nausea and vomiting
Weight loss or inability to gain weight
- Abdominal pain or distension
- Blood in urine or feces
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Gas and bloating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weight loss or inability to gain weight
How Are Worms in Humans Treated?
If you are experiencing a number of the symptoms listed above, it’s a good idea to seek treatment. In the event that you are diagnosed with intestinal worms, you’ll likely be given an antiparasitic medication that will work to kill the worms.
The exact type of medication that you’re given will depend on the type of worm you have as well as the severity of the infection. Usually, the worms will be gone within a few weeks when taking the proper medication.
How Can You Protect Your Cat and Yourself Worms?
The best way to protect yourself from getting worms from your cat is to protect your cat from getting worms in the first place. Keeping your cat indoors can prevent him from coming into contact with disease-carrying insects and animals. If fleas are a problem, then it is important to give your cat flea medication to keep him from becoming infected.
If you do notice that your cat has worms, it’s best to take him to a veterinarian immediately so that your cat can get started on a dewormer medication. And finally, wear gloves and make sure that you are washing your hands thoroughly immediately after changing your cat’s litter to prevent any potential worm infection from happening.
Final Thoughts
Although it isn’t an incredibly common thing to happen, there are certain types of worms that a human can get from a cat if you aren’t careful, especially roundworms and hookworms. If you do suspect that you or your cat has worms, it’s important to seek medical treatment immediately. Taking preventative measures ahead of time can help minimize the risk that you or your cat gets infected with worms in the first place.
You may also want to read:
- 7 Best Cat Dewormers – Reviews & Top Picks
- My Cat Has Worms – How Do I Clean My House?
Featured Image Credit by: New Africa, Shutterstock
