round worms

Question
my fiance believes she saw a worm in our cats litter box and has become terrified our daughter will become infected. is their a serious threat to my daughter and what are the best treatment methods. was told by freind that worms cannot be cured completely, is this true?

Answer
There are two types of worms that she could have seen in the litter box.  One is very small, about the size of a grain of rice.  That is a tapeworm segment.  The tapeworm that dogs and cats normally get comes from ingesting a flea, either a live one or a dead one (scientific name Dipylidium caninum).  The roundworm (or ascarid) is another worm that she could have seen, and it is generally much longer.  Children can become infected with roundworms.  As long as your fiance's daughter is not handling anything from the litterbox, or at the very least washing her hands immediately afterwards, she should be ok.  I definitely recommend taking a sample of your cat's stool to your veterinarian if you have seen roundworms.  If she does have them she has obviously been exposed to them (usually cats get it from eating small animals they catch outside), which means she could be harboring other parasites.  Regardless of which worm you have seen, your vet will have medication to rid her of any infection.  

Amanda