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Diagnosis
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The first step in treating tapeworms in cats is identifying them. While adult tapeworms are roughly six inches in length, their tail segments are about the size of a grain of rice. What owners typically see are the tail segments, which appear on the surface of the cat's stool or cling to the cat's fur around its anus.
Considerations
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The cat passes the tail segments in its feces and the tail segments contain tapeworm eggs. Flea larvae then eat the tapeworm eggs. If the cat eats the flea, the process can start all over again. Because of this, treating a cat for tapeworms should also involve flea treatment.
Medications
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The most common treatment for tapeworm in cats is praziquantel. Owners may obtain praziquantel in both prescription and non-prescription medications intended to cure tapeworms. The body weight of the cat determines the dosage. While owners can also treat adult cats with epsiprantel, they should not use the medication on kittens that are less than seven weeks old.
Prevention
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To prevent cats from contracting tapeworms in the first place, owners should take a few steps. They should prevent cats from eating or hunting animals that might have tapeworm infected flees, and dispose of the cat's litter so that an infected cat won't infect others. Owners should keep their home free of fleas, which pass on the parasite.
Significance
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Tapeworms do not harm the cat by hooking to its body. Instead, they harm the cat by depleting the cat's nutrients. A large number of tapeworms can cause the cat to be lethargic or to lose weight. Tapeworm treatment removes the tapeworms from the cat's body and allows the cat to start getting the full benefit from its food.
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Cat Tapeworm Treatment
A tapeworm is a parasite that can live in the cat's small intestine. It hooks to the cat's intestinal wall and propagates itself by producing tail segments that break off and which contain tapeworm eggs. Tapeworms can lead to serious illness for the cat unless owners obtain treatment.