Many cats develop tapeworms at various points in their lives, which is a condition that requires the care of a veterinarian. In most cases, it's easy for your local vet to treat your cat's tapeworm with medication, but you need to be aware of the indicators that a tapeworm is present. Fortunately, these indicators are generally easy to spot. Once you notice one or more of them, you should call the local animal hospital, explain what you've seen, and set an appointment. Here are three common signs that your cat is dealing with a tapeworm. 

Visible Tapeworm

The easiest way to tell that your cat has a tapeworm is to see signs of the tapeworm. Commonly, they're evident in the animal's droppings. When you clean the cat's litter box, it's a good idea to take a moment to check the condition of the droppings. If the cat has a tapeworm, you can expect to see light-colored markings around the pet's feces. In many cases, these markings are roughly similar in appearance to grains of rice. As unsettling as their presence may be, they will quickly alert you to the presence of a tapeworm.

Licking

Tapeworms irritate your cat's anal area, which means that it will often lick this part of its body in an effort to alleviate the discomfort. It's fairly common for a cat, which is a species of animal that grooms meticulously, to regularly devote time to licking around this part of its body. You may, however, be aware that your cat is licking this region far more than usual. This is often indicative of a tapeworm and is something you should share with your vet even if you don't see visible signs of a tapeworm in the cat's droppings.

Scooting

Another sign that your cat has a tapeworm is that it engages in a behavior that is commonly known as scooting. This means that the cat drags its backside across the floor in your home. While your initial reaction to this behavior might be to attempt to stop the cat from performing this movement, you should be aware of what scooting likely means. As with chronic licking, the cat is scooting in an attempt to alleviate some of the discomfort around its back end.

Upon noticing one or more of these indicators, contact your local animal hospital to explain what you've observed and set a day and time for an appointment.

Contact a local veterinary service to learn more.