We love our cats as members of our family but despite our best efforts, they can sometimes become ill such as through worm infestations. Worse yet, if you are not careful, you too can become ill from different types of intestinal parasites found in cats. Knowing how to protect yourself is as important as finding the right way to care for your cat. As with any infestation, seek advice from a veterinarian if you suspect your cat has any kind of worms and speak to a doctor immediately if you suspect you have been infected as well.
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Roundworms
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Roundworms are the most common kind of intestinal parasite cats can have; often they are transmitted from mother to kitten through the mother's milk. Roundworms can be found in the fecal matter of infested cats as white-ish, semi-transparent worms, but are not always detectable visually. These worms can easily be transmitted to humans who contact infected fecal matter with their hands and then inadequately wash (or do not wash at all) their hands, followed by touching eyes, nose or mouth.
Hookworms
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Hookworms are not common in cats, but can be transmitted from cat to human through fecal matter. Cats can acquire hookworms during a jaunt outdoors where it came into contact with wet sand or soil carrying the infecting worms. Humans also can be infected this way, as well as from their cats.
Tapeworms
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There are a couple of ways your cat can get tapeworms; through grooming, which causes the ingestion of infected fleas, or through eating infected rodents. Fortunately, tapeworms are highly specialized and adapted to a cat's environment and cat-to-human infection is rare, though still possible. If you spy small "grains of rice" in the cat's feces, in its fur or in its bedding, these are most likely the dried, egg-carrying segments of a tapeworm and you should wash your hands thoroughly after handling any such infected material.
Whipworms
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Whipworms can infect cats on rare occasions and on even rarer occasions, those whipworms can infect the humans who care for the cat. As with the other worms, whipworms are transmitted through handling of infected fecal matter and inadequate washing of the hands. There are some types of whipworms that can infect human beings, but they are a different breed than the ones that infect cats.
Treatment
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All worms can be treated, both in your cat and in yourself. Roundworms are common enough that an over-the-counter de-wormer usually works. With other worms, and with a worm infestation of your own, a medical professional as well as a specific anti-parasitic is required. Be sure to follow the dosing and finish the full prescription, even if you and/or your cat feel or seem fine. Failure to do so may result in the worms becoming drug resistant, another trip to the vet's or doctor's, and possibly more expensive medication.
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