# What do roundworm eggs look like?



## Cheline101 (Dec 28, 2010)

My cats and I moved back in with my parents a while back and a couple days ago I noticed worms hanging out of my mom's cat's butt (sorry I don't have a better term for that). I called the vet and described the worms and they said the cat has roundworms, so I went in and picked up an oral dewormer for all of the cats (5 total). I gave them all the first dose, and the next dose is in 2 weeks. My mom's female cat is the only one that we actually saw worms on, so we're watching her like a hawk, looking at where she regularly sits. She has a pillow she sleeps on every night on top of my dad's dresser, and my mom came out and said there were little pinkish things all over the dresser around the pillow. These things are about 1/2-1/3 the size of a grain of rice, and they kind of had a really light pinkish tint to them. The only thing I can think of is that they are roundworm eggs. Does anybody know? We through the pillow in the washer and sanitized the dresser, and washed my parent's comforter. Actually, now that I think of it... I checked the cat tree for worms, but I should go back and check for eggs.


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

Roundworm eggs are microscopic, so can't be seen by the naked eye. What you are probably seeing are tapeworm segments. Which are pieces of actual worm (but different than a roundworm) It may be that the tapeworm is dying and thats why you are seeing them. Can you tell me what dewormer was used on the cats (as they don't all kill tapeworms) Also, tapeworms are actually transmitted by fleas. Do your cats have fleas? If so, they will need to be treated as well.


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## Cheline101 (Dec 28, 2010)

It's definitely not a tapeworm. The 2 cats out at the other house each had a tapeworm a couple months ago that we had to treat. Tapeworms are bigger and flat. These worms are white, and are about as wide as a grain of rice, but they are longer. This particular cat doesn't use the litterbox (she poops outside) so it's harder for me to tell, but there were definitely 2 sticking about a half inch out of her butt the other day, and they were wiggling around. So I freaked and called the vet. The vet gave me bags with the syringes already measured out with the right amount for each cat. It doesn't specifically say what it is. It just says it's Strongid Liquid. It's an oral treatment that I give them once now, and once again in 2 weeks. I haven't seen worms since I gave it to her, but I'm sure they're still there. They don't have fleas either, they get flea treatment every month, and I've actually been flea combing just to check because one of my cats seems to be scratching a little more than normal. I know what your talking about with the tapeworm though, I saw a couple segments on the other cats behind, and took them to the vet and they told me it was tapeworm, those were flat segments though, these things look like something pooped them out, but they're really small and white with a pinkish tint.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Strongid is 'pyrantel pamoate' and it doesn't kill tapeworms. It is generally used for round and hook worms. Tapeworms *can* look like bits of rice.

If indoor/outdoor cat is hanging out in areas prey frequent or killing/eating any prey that have fleas and/or are tapeworm infected ... kitty will be infected and can easily pass those parasites to the indoor cats.


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## Cheline101 (Dec 28, 2010)

That's why they gave it to me, because the worms are roundworms. They don't look like rice, that was just for width comparason. The worms are much longer than a grain of rice. With what I've researched, and what the vet has said, they are roundworms. I'm just trying to figure out what those things around her were. I'm sure tapeworms can look like rice when they're babies, but these worms were much larger, but this size, I would have been able to identify it as a tapeworm because I've dealt with them before, both with my parents 2 cats, and with foster kitties i've had. tapeworms are flat and segmented, these worms were round and had no segments. The little things around the pillow were round like a ball with a little pointy end like it had come out of something's buttox and been pinched off... this particular cat doesn't chase mice or snakes and eat them, all of my other cats do, but this one never has for some reason, at least I've never seen it, and i've known her for 13 years.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, I'm sure you correctly identified the round worms _(last years' foster kittens were heavily loaded with them)_ I was just sharing that tapes are common and easy for a cat to 'catch'.


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

Its possible the cats have BOTH roundworms and tapeworms. If so, the Strongid won't treat the tapeworms, only the roundworms. Tapeworm segments are all I can think that these things could be that you are seeing. Can you take a picture?


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

do a google image search to find what you are looking at. Roundworm EGGS are microscopic, as are the eggs of other intestinal parasites. Roundworms and Tapeworms themselves can be seen but most pets don't shed entire Tapeworms. Roundworms look like spaghetti.

Tapeworm SEGMENTS are most likely what you are descibing. The eggs are shed in small rice-like segments. The segments wiggle and squirm when they first come out (they were part of the worm before they segmented off to be spread around the environment) but will soon dry out and shrink up, looking like dried rice. 

Strongid will do nothing for tapeworms. Drontal Plus will get rid of both.

And Tapeworms are transmitted by ingesting fleas, so you can deworm all you want by if fleas are also a problem you're not really solving anything.


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