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Why does my cat keep getting worms even after deworming treatment?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My cat keeps getting worms. We give him medicine each time but he still keeps getting them.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on April 8th, 2015

What you're seeing is most likely tapeworms. Tapeworms are intestinal parasites of the cat and dog. They belong to a different family than hookworms and roundworms, which are the other common intestinal parasites of dogs and cats. Fleas are the intermediate host for tapeworms. In other words, the tapeworm is unable to complete its life cycle without the presence of fleas in the environment. Regardless of whether the owner may have seen fleas, the cat must have ingested a flea in order to have tapeworms. Consequently, tapeworms are more common in environments that are heavily infested with fleas. Most commonly, owners recognize that the cat has tapeworms and bring this to the attention of the veterinarian. When segments of the tapeworm break off and pass into the cat's stool, they can be seen crawling on the surface of the feces. These proglottid segments look like grains of cooked white rice or cucumber seeds. Less commonly, segments are seen moving around the cat's anus. A variety of products are available to treat tapeworms in cats but they are not all equally effective. For the best advice on the type of de-worming preparation most suitable for your cat, you should seek the help of your veterinarian. The most effective worming products are only available by prescription from a licensed veterinarian. Flea control, both environmental and on the cat is necessary to help prevent this from recurring.

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11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 13th, 2019

    Hello. Dallas may have tapeworms. This can be confirmed by your veterinarian if you submit a stool sample or segments of the worms for examination. The dewormer you used does not take care of them. You will need a medication that has either [Panacur]() (fenbendazole) or [Drontal for Cats]() (praziquantel)to eliminate tapeworms. Tractor Supply, Petco & other major pet retailers should carry these products for cats. Just follow all label directions. If tapeworms are diagnosed, you will also need to treat Dallas and his environment for fleas since that is how tapeworms are spread. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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    3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on March 6th, 2019

    By your description, it could be tapeworm. You should wait 2-3 weeks before repeating the treatment. It is common to see a purge of dead or dying parasites after a deworming. Since tapeworm is spread by fleas, you should treat all pets in the house as well as the house for fleas for at least 3 consecutive months, preferably year round.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on November 29th, 2018

    Fleas can carry tapeworms, and the picture you showed does look like the segments of a tapeworm. It would be best to bring it in for confirmation from your vet and to receive the appropriate dewormer. Since it is such a heavy load of worms, you will likely need to do dewormings multiple times for all three cats to ensure they do not continue to infect each other. Taking care of the flea issue with a topical treatment monthly as well as cleaning all bedding, floorboards, baseboards, etc can help manage the flea issue and also prevent worms.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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my kitten had fleas about a month ago and was treated with an at home treatment and i haven’t seen any since. but he had tapeworm about a week ago. i went to a pop up vet and got his first round of shots and they gave me a liquid worm medicine to pu
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My cat keeps getting worms even though he's been dewormed time and again..he is just over 2 yrs old and we try keeping house flea free as much as we possibly can..vacuuming and flea products..so why does he keep getting worms
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! He may be getting constantly exposed by another animal in the house or close to the house if he goes outside. It may be best to check the specific worm and treat it for a longer course to get rid of it as that is sometimes needed. Have him reevaluated by your veterinarian to possibly proceed with more specific testing if not yet performed and therapy. Have a great day!
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So all of my Foster kittens and my own 2 cats have tapeworms I have medicine for all of them But I am just wondering what else I need to do to make sure they don't get infected again. I'm going to deep clean the litter boxes but do I need to spray an
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My cat previously got treated for worms a few months ago but I just noticed that there was a live worm sticking out of his butt and that's what we saw when we first decide to take him to the vet. I also noticed that he had two extra holes in his butt
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