# Thin dark worm in indoor cats' water bowl -problem?



## cwatkin

I have 3x indoor cats and happened to notice a dark hairlike worm in their water bowl this morning. I usually have to change the water once per day because they like to play in the water bowl and splash it everywhere but make it nasty rather quickly by doing this. The water had just been changed last night and still looked clean besides this. I don't think this is something that was born or grew in the water but was likely introduced by the cats. The worm was dark in color, maybe a little thicker than a human hair, and about 6 inches long. It was wiggling around in the water bowl and I would have liked to take a picture but the cats were about to play in the water with it so I flushed it ASAP.

Is this likely related to a worm infection of the cats? Two of them are nice and solid. One is maybe a little thin which is odd since they all eat the same food and the same amount. I think worming them is a good idea but what does this worm sound like? I know different meds work for different worms. What wormer is in order here?

I cannot find pictures that look exactly like the worm online. The closest is probable this one of the whipworm except there wasn't a thicker section at one end. Maybe it was a young one? https://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/806/flashcards/562806/png/whipworm1315156661704.png It also looked kinda like the lung and kidney worms but the cats seem healthy and active otherwise. I figure the skinnier one might be that way for a reason now.

Conor


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## KW Farms

It sounds like a horsehair worm to me, but not sure how it would have gotten in the water bowl. :scratch:


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## goathiker

It came out of a grasshopper and the cats likely ate the grasshopper.


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## cwatkin

Yes, I just looked up the horsehair worm http://web.stanford.edu/~lanz/102_0266.JPG and it looks like we have a match.

Is this an intestinal parasite that needs treatment or just something the cats picked up to play with?

Conor


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## goathiker

It won't infect the cats, they are only parasites to grasshoppers, beetles, and such.


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## cwatkin

http://www.yourpetsbestfriend.com/your_pets_best_friend/2012/10/horsehair-worms.html

Ok, sounds like it is no big deal. The scenario described here is EXACTLY what I had happen. I found it in the pet water dish as they said.

Conor


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