When your kitten is young and still the softest ball of fur on the planet, you usually allow it to sleep wherever it can find a comfortable place to crawl into. However, as your cat grows older, you may start to wonder if it is safe to have her on your bed when you sleep? Or can you get worms from your cats?
So,
Let us discuss that in detail.
Many zoonotic worms affect both cats and humans. So technically, Yes.. cats may transmit worms to humans when they sleep on the same bed as them, especially if they love to lay on your pillows at night. The worm eggs are mostly transferred to you if you do not keep your cat dewormed or if you do not keep the hygienic conditions.
You can contract roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms from your cat if she sleeps on your bed at night. So, while soothing your kitty is a nice thing, you should avoid putting yourself in danger by doing so. An infestation of worms might result in a severe health problem. The majority of them are toxic to humans. Keep in mind that letting your cats sleep next to you may result in the transmission of worms.
In order to prevent worm larvae or eggs from being passed to you from your cat, it is perilous to understand all of the possible routes of transmission. Many cat owners are unaware of how easy the transfer is or how rapidly the worms will begin to develop once they have entered your body, posing severe health dangers to you and your family.
Worms In Cats
In cats, the two types of internal parasites most usually detected are tapeworms and roundworms, which dwell in the digestive system.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are flat, tape-like worms that may be found in the intestines of most animals, including cats, and can be difficult to detect.
Scolex (head) attaches itself to the gut wall with suckers or hooks, and a sequence of segments bearing eggs are the main components of tapeworms. These segments separate and are excreted with the feces. They can be found in the cat’s feces, surrounding the cat’s anus, and in the cat’s bedding at times. They have the appearance of little grains of rice and have the ability to move.
Depending on the kind of tapeworm, several animals might act as intermediate hosts for the parasite.
Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaeformis are the two most common tapeworms discovered in cats worldwide.
Some feline tapeworms have the potential to infect humans. The flea tapeworm is the most common type of tapeworm seen in cats, yet it is not commonly transferred to people since the illness must be obtained by swallowing an infected flea to be contracted.
As with cats, children are more prone to become infected, and the symptoms are similar to those seen in cats. Tapeworm segments, which look like little rice grains, are excreted in the feces and adhere to the anal region.
Roundworms
Roundworms are the most frequent intestinal parasite seen in cats. Adult roundworms have the appearance of white earthworms. They can reach a maximum length of 10cm in length.
Toxascaris leonina and Toxocara cati are the two most common roundworms detected in cats, and they are also the most contagious. They are expelled in the feces and persist outside the host’s intestine for several years.
There are two ways in which these eggs might infect other cats. As a result of living in a very polluted environment, cats may be more likely to consume (ingest) eggs.
If some animal other than a cat swallows the eggs (for example, a mouse or rat), the infection can be passed on to the cat if the cat preys on or consumes the infected intermediary host.
Toxocara cati is also passed on through the mother cat’s milk to her offspring.
Feline roundworms are also capable of infecting humans. The eggs of this parasite are released in the feces of cats. After two weeks of exposure to the elements, they can become infectious to people.
After being accidentally swallowed, the worms can move to organs such as the liver, lungs, brain, and eyes, where the human body produces an immune response to try to seal them off and keep them from spreading.
If the worms travel to the eye, they can cause severe vision loss, and if they migrate to the lungs, they can cause sneezing and asthma-like symptoms. Some persons exhibit no signs or symptoms at all.
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How Do the Worms Transfer From Cat? – Ways by which Worms Transfer
Many people believe that once a cat has been dewormed, it will never have worms again, with the majority of people believing that indoor cats cannot have any worms in their system again. We always urge you to exercise caution and not just allow your cats to come into excessive contact with your mouth or nose, as this can be harmful.
Sneezing
To be sure, whether you like it or not, when your cat sneezes, it is expulsion everything that a person would expel when sneezing, with the exception that everything is a great deal more aerosolized. This means that you may not feel part of their snot or spit touching you, making it even more harmful for worms and other parasites.
It is common for cats to sneeze, whether in your face, on your hands, or just when they are sleeping, and spray the eggs from worms that they have in their digestive system all over the place. If you then massage your face or, even worse, don’t wash your hands, you will eat these eggs and find yourself with a worm infestation on your hands very quickly.
Licking
Cats like grooming themselves, and if you become a member of their family, they may even lick your face, which is one of the most excellent things they can perform. That implies they are licking their fur, your hands, and even the face of your kid, which means they are spreading worm eggs onto every surface they touch.
We usually urge people to keep the area where their cats may go separate from where they sleep and wash their hands before eating to avoid contamination. This separation will significantly lessen the likelihood of you contracting their worms, with the shortest route always being through your unclean hands and the food you are consuming at the time of separation.
Coughing
Coughing is the second most effective method of spreading worms, whether because your cat is unwell or because it is just having difficulty swallowing anything that has been caught in its throat. As it coughs, spits, and hurls other objects through the air, everything in your cat’s mouth will be dispersed across the house like leaves being blown by a leaf blower in the autumn.
Whether your cat is laying on your bed, with or without you, it will distribute all of the eggs from the worms it has put in its mouth all over the bed, causing it to smell bad. Spreading all worms that may be carried to you, resulting in illness and other ailments later on when the worms find their way into your body and cause infection.
Breathing
This is not a problem the majority of the time since your kitty will be breathing on your lap or somewhere further away from your mouth and hence cannot breathe directly into your face. However, when you are both sleeping peacefully, enjoying the night, and having a good time, all of this will quickly change.
You and your cat will ultimately wind up breathing near to one other, either both open-mouthed or one breathing directly into the other’s mouth, depending on how much you want. This will spread the worm larvae or eggs from your beloved pet’s furry companion to you. So avoid doing this if your pet is not dewormed.
Cat Fur
Using your cat’s fur to transport worms between humans is the oldest and most frequently missed method of spreading the parasite. The fact that cats like cleaning themselves mean that their saliva goes into the majority of their fur, which causes worms eggs to be naturally transported onto the fur.
While the eggs will ultimately be washed away, they can still live for several days before dying or being entirely removed from the environment. This implies that the fur on your pillows, the fur flying in the air, or even the fur that you are cleaning has the potential to transmit worms to you and your family.
How Do You Know If You Have Worms From Your Cat?
Now that we understand how easily worms may be transmitted to you through nearly any typical encounter with your cat, we need to look at the indicators that they may be infected with worms themselves. Many people believe that all cats are infected with worms; however, this is not always the case, and there will be indicators of infection.
Indeed, if your cat has had good treatment and has been dewormed, it should have a small amount of antibodies and other substances in its system that prevents worms from reproducing. This implies that an indoor cat may have no worms, but a cat that roams the neighborhood may have many worms on her.
Feces
If you are concerned that your furry companion has worms, you should physically check their feces, sifting through the kitty litter to confirm your suspicion. When you examine the feces, you may notice eggshells, dead worms, or portions of worms. The presence of bigger worms, such as tapeworms, is particularly noticeable.
Please understand that checking for worms is not a glamorous operation and will need you to hold your nose and wear a pair of gloves. However, this is the quickest and most secure method of determining whether or not your cat has unexpectedly picked up any uninvited guests.
Itchy Butt
When your cat has worms, mainly intestinal worms, their buttocks will become persistently itchy, as the worms are causing harm and irritation due to their presence. If your cat becomes unduly preoccupied with licking its derriere or suddenly drags its buttocks through the grass or carpet, you can be certain that it is infested with worms.
You won’t even have to bother checking its excrement; you can load your cat into the car and drive it to the nearest veterinarian to get it examined. The intestinal worms that your cat will most likely have are the most common, and they are also the least likely to cause long-term difficulties.
Loss of Weight
When you have more dangerous worms to worry about, such as heartworms, lungworms, or liver flukes, you may have this type of reaction. They inflict severe damage to the organs on which they feed and cause your cat or kitten to have severe appetite loss, necessitating the need for extensive veterinary treatment to get them back on their feet again.
These worms, which may be transmitted to people, can cause severe illness and long-term organ damage, and the dewormers used to treat them are not always as simple to swallow as those used to treat our cats. Your cat must be adequately immunized against parasitic worms, and the appropriate medication must be administered to it on an annual basis to aid in the battle.
FAQs
How Likely Is It That You’ll Get Worms From Your Cat?
You are unlikely to get worms from your cat since humans are an unusual host for feline parasites. Worms cannot navigate a specific feline organ and become disoriented and bewildered when entering a human body.
Your veterinarian will determine this and will be discussed with you in detail at that time.
Whenever possible, individuals should wash their hands after coming into touch with the family cat, avoid kissing the cat and avoid allowing the cat to lick them on the face.
Keeping the cat from defecating in the garden is essential, particularly around play places such as sandboxes.
Wild cats can be deterred from accessing your property and performing their business in your garden or lawn by using deterrents such as fences and sprinklers to keep them away.
Is It Possible to Get Worms From My Cat Licking Me?
The licking of cats spreads worms, and they can enter your body through your cat’s licking of your face or body.
Cats kiss our faces as a show of affection for us. It is not only necessary for cats to lick their fur to groom themselves, but it is also a means for them to express their devotion.
Liking you, other cats, or even other pets helps your cat create a social connection with you. Part of this habit may result from your cat’s mother licking them when they were kittens to groom them and express care and affection.
However, if your cat has worms, they may be able to pass them on to you by licking, as cats are noted for keeping themselves clean. They can lick their buttocks and then lick you, spreading the worms on you.
Is It Contagious to Have Tapeworms in Cats?
The presence of tapeworms in cats can be contagious. However, this is a very unusual occurrence. It is possible to develop tapeworms if you unintentionally swallow an infected flea, such as after caressing a flea-infested cat or petting a flea-infested dog.
Summary (Can Cat Worms Infect Humans?)
- Cat worms (roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms) can infect people and spread disease.
- When it comes to parasites, most of us are concerned about the health of our pets, but many of us are unaware that we may be at risk as well.
- Worms will infect virtually all cats at some time; thus, it is suggested that you deworm your cat regularly to help battle these unpleasant invaders.
- Although most of us worm our cats to keep them healthy, it is also vital to lower our chance of contracting a disease.
- A number of parasite illnesses that cause harm to our cats, like roundworm and hookworm, have the potential to infect you severely.
- Many infectious illnesses may be transmitted from animals to people, and your cat may be a carrier of some of these diseases to your family.
- But, before you become overly concerned, remember that catching a disease from a pet is quite unusual, and the vast majority of illnesses can be avoided by following a few easy measures.
- Teach children not to kiss cats or put their hands in their mouths after touching them, for example, to prevent them from being sick. Hand washing regularly, as well as frequent vet appointments, are two additional excellent ways for avoiding several diseases in cats.
