SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/cat-fleas-tapeworm

How do cats get tapeworm from fleas?

By eating fleas while grooming.

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  1. By eating fleas while grooming ✔
  2. From drinking milk
  3. From sunlight

Why: A flea can carry the larval stage of a tapeworm. When a cat swallows the flea while licking its coat, the parasite can grow in the gut. Flea control protects against it.

Huh, didn't know that: Merck says fleas can also spread bacterial infections and typhus-like rickettsiae.

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Why don't cats like house parties? Too many catastrophes.
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References

Answer: By eating fleas while grooming. A flea can carry the larval stage of a tapeworm. When a cat swallows the flea while licking its coat, the parasite can grow in the gut. Flea control protects against it.

  1. iCatCare, Fleas and flea control in cats icatcare.org/articles/fleas-and-flea-control-in-cats
    cats become infected by eating fleas during grooming
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. Merck Veterinary Manual, Fleas of Cats www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/skin-disorders-of-cats/fleas-of-cats
    transmit a wide variety of diseases, including tapeworm infections, bacterial infections, and the typhus-like rickettsiae
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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