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My cat had tapeworms. Will I see worms in his stool after treatment?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 5 years and 3 months old | 16 lbs

My cat had tapeworm symptoms so I treated him with profender. Should I see the tapeworm in his stool. It was yellowed than normal and did have a large clump which looked like grass, is this the worm? Profe der is a three monthly treatment, should I be treating him sooner. There was also white dots in his stool, should these now disappear?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 10th, 2018

Hello. Once the tapeworm has been killed by the wormer, the parasite is often digested ( it exerts a protective coating while alive ), & we usually do not see tapeworms passed in the stool. If it was a particularly heavy infestation, you may see some pass out, but this is not the norm. Any signs of tape segments should also disappear shortly. I like Profender, it is a good product, but I would follow label directions & reapply when recommended. Otherwise, once it wears off, your cat can pick up more tapeworms from hunting & from fleas ( make sure you are using a good flea preventative, too ). Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on June 15th, 2017

    This is a common description of tapeworm segments. You would need to submit them and a stool sample to your veterinarian to definitively diagnose specific intestinal parasites. If your cat does have tapeworms or other parasites, your veterinarian can dispense the appropriate medication. It will likely need to be repeated in 2-3 weeks. You will also need to treat Jax and the environment for fleas since that is how cats become infected with tapeworm.

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    Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 9th, 2018

    It looks like your cat has tapeworms as tapeworms look like pieces of rice around the rear end. Your vet can prescribe a medication to treat the problem. You should also treat you cat for fleas as cats get tapeworms from ingesting fleas.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on January 13th, 2020

    They could be tapeworm segments. Tapeworm is a common intestinal parasite. Submit the material or a stool sample to your veterinarian for confirmation and treatment if indicated. If tapeworm is confirmed, you will need to treat Vegas for fleas as well since that is one way the parasite is spread.

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