Help! What is this thing?!?!

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Squalliesmom

Squalliesmom

Member Since 2015
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I just found this on my BED, where the cats had been lying! I am freaking out and kinda want to have a toxic cleanup crew come blast my house! What is this thing and am I going to find more of them?!? I am assuming it is some sort of parasite - will it infect people? Aagghhhh! Yuck, yuck, yuck!!! My cats never even go outside!
 
google searched....
maybe a drain worm??

Larvae of drain flies are legless, about 3/8 inch long, wormlike and gray, with both ends somewhat darker. Adult drain flies are small (1/6 to 1/5 inch long), fuzzy, and dark colored insects. Their bodies and wings are densely covered with hairs. Because wings appear large for their body, are held roof-like over the body when at rest, they are often mistaken for moths. They are not strong fliers and fly only a few feet at a time.

Drain will need to be cleaned. It is best to remove the drain trap and use a long stiff brush to dislodge the gelatinous material in the drains. Then, flush with boiling water and bleach to remove any residue.

Drain flies are common around sink drains, sewage treatment facilities, storm drains, dung and rotten vegetation. They feed on bacteria, fungi, algae and other microorganisms present in decaying organic matter. Drain fly larvae are difficult to drown because they are able to trap air bubbles and remain submerged for a day or more.
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here's another.... same conclusion....


A reader sent us a video of a worm-like organism she found some bed sheets. The video reveals a tiny black creature that moves in typical worm fashion. The organism is so small that it is hard to determine if it has any other identifying features. It sort of appears to have a thick upper body and a thin tail, almost like a tadpole, but we do not know for certain.


Based on the size of this creature, we are pretty sure it is not a worm, but some type of larvae
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most likely is some sort of larvae.....
and it could have hitchhiked on the cat from any where....
 
rhiannon and shadow (GA) said:
google searched....
maybe a drain worm??
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rhiannon and shadow (GA) said:
here's another.... same conclusion....

most likely is some sort of larvae.....
and it could have hitchhiked on the cat from any where....
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Ewww! I just found two more of them, also on my bed. If they are larvae of some sort are they less/more likely to pose a threat to people and animals? I am really grossed out here. *shudder*

I never heard of drain flies before, had you?
 
sounds like you should change the sheets....
maybe wash them in hot water
( bleach if they are white sheets)
and find a fresh pair....


pin worms are usually white from what I can tell....so I don't think that's it.....
all you can do.... is more detective work....

hey...
and at least it's not a bed bug....
those things will give you the heebie jeebies ( yes... they are real....)
my dgm in Texas had bed bugs ..... those things are awful....
 
@rhiannon and shadow (GA)
rhiannon and shadow (GA) said:
sounds like you should change the sheets....
maybe wash them in hot water
( bleach if they are white sheets)
and find a fresh pair....


pin worms are usually white from what I can tell....so I don't think that's it.....
all you can do.... is more detective work....

hey...
and at least it's not a bed bug....
those things will give you the heebie jeebies ( yes... they are real....)
my dgm in Texas had bed bugs ..... those things are awful....
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Yes, the sheets are already off the bed and in the wash, believe me!

I looked up hookworms and they seem to look similar, but it said hookworms cannot be seen with the naked eye, so that rules them out...I can definitely see these little monsters.

Yeah, I don't want bedbugs, either, lol! I don't want anything in my bed that has less than two legs or more than four!!!
 
Of course, now I'm paranoid, looking for the damn things everywhere. I hate bugs, worms, larvae, whatever, anything creepy crawly!:eek::(:nailbiting:
 
our house pests are spiders....
not a lot of bugs up in the mountains.... but spiders... and they seem to like to bite me...


hope you figure out where they are coming from so you can be rid of them.....
 
rhiannon and shadow (GA) said:
our house pests are spiders....
not a lot of bugs up in the mountains.... but spiders... and they seem to like to bite me...


hope you figure out where they are coming from so you can be rid of them.....
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Thanks, me too!

We have spiders, too, and I'm terrified of them. We live in the woods and we get these great huge things that are the size of my fist -0 I can't even kill them, I just flee. Someone else has to kill them for me, ugh! We have a lot of snakes, too, but they don't bother me. They don't come in the house, lol!
 
Brush the cat over a newspaper to make sure there are no more. Clean sheets and a big glass of wine. My long-haired tux used to bring in tiny slugs. I'd be giving him a good belly rub and - ew.
 
I would vacuum the mattress, just for extra measure. I would bug bomb only as a last resort and keep kitties out of the bedroom. You could call an exterminator , but who knows what kinds of chemicals they might use. You might try using a magnefying glass to help identify the wee creatchers(?).
 
donnalea said:
I would vacuum the mattress, just for extra measure. I would bug bomb only as a last resort and keep kitties out of the bedroom. You could call an exterminator , but who knows what kinds of chemicals they might use. You might try using a magnefying glass to help identify the wee creatchers(?).
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I'm so afraid of all those chemicals after my neighbor's dog got deathly ill and one of her birds died after the exterminator used "pet safe" chemicals! I can't find my magnifying glass, and in truth, I'm not sure I want to be eye to eye with the creepy-crawly, lol. Maybe I can get one of my sons to take a look! :)
 
Gross! I hate bugs!

Do you have a Cooperative Extension Service nearby? I looked up Maryland and found this site: http://extension.umd.edu/. They are great at identifying critters. Maybe you can just send the photo to them for identification. And if you think it's from one of the cats, show the photo to your vet.
 
Put it in a jar and if you have a pest control company nearby take it there and see what they say. It could have come in on shoes or clothes if you were outside.
 
Woodsywife said:
Put it in a jar and if you have a pest control company nearby take it there and see what they say. It could have come in on shoes or clothes if you were outside.
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Another good idea, thanks! I put it in an empty pill bottle. Whatever it is, apparently it doesn't have a long life: it was dead within a couple of hours. My cats don't go outside but somebody else could have brought it in. I'm just relieved that it doesn't seem to be something that will put my kitties (or us) at risk! I was freaking out last night fearing that it was something that had infested my cats!:):):)
 
You could pick up some de-wormer from your vet just in case it did come from one of the cats. If you have any other pets, you should probably deworm all of them at the same time. It will not hurt them if they do not have worms.
 
Squalliesmom said:
View attachment 22936

I just found this on my BED, where the cats had been lying! I am freaking out and kinda want to have a toxic cleanup crew come blast my house! What is this thing and am I going to find more of them?!? I am assuming it is some sort of parasite - will it infect people? Aagghhhh! Yuck, yuck, yuck!!! My cats never even go outside!
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I don't think anyone mentioned getting a fecal exam on your kitties. Did you look around their butts, in the litter box and any other places they spend time for more? I know that most (if not all) cannot survive outside in a dry environment for very long. Your extension may not be able to determine if it is an animal parasite - there are many, many larvae, but this may very well be an adult. I'd spring for the fecal - and yes, wash the sheets - have the wine!! ;)

Edit: this site has info on feline parasites AND human infection. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_information/brochure_parasite.cfm
 
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Bonnie & Kyndra said:
I don't think anyone mentioned getting a fecal exam on your kitties. Did you look around their butts, in the litter box and any other places they spend time for more? I know that most (if not all) cannot survive outside in a dry environment for very long. Your extension may not be able to determine if it is an animal parasite - there are many, many larvae, but this may very well be an adult. I'd spring for the fecal - and yes, wash the sheets - have the wine!! ;)

Edit: this site has info on feline parasites AND human infection. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_information/brochure_parasite.cfm
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Thanks for the link! Kitties are on monthly Revolution so "shouldn't" have any parasites, but will check with vet. Yes, first thing I did was check butts and litter pans, lol, the cats thought I was nuts. Then..sheets washed, and wine drunk! I mean, I drank the wine. The wine was not drunk, lol.
 
I'm itching and crawling just looking at that lol could it be flea larvae? They are usually white but turn darker as they age.. It's hard to tell.. Hope you get to the bottom of it!
 
I once put a bug in a jar for the exterminators to look at. It was a termite. Never saw one until I moved into my condo and the building was new. Your bug looks like some kind of worm to me but I'm no expert. I hope you find out soon and don't find more.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I once put a bug in a jar for the exterminators to look at. It was a termite. Never saw one until I moved into my condo and the building was new. Your bug looks like some kind of worm to me but I'm no expert. I hope you find out soon and don't find more.
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Thanks! Nobody seems to know quitw what species of creepy-crawly it is but everybody says it looks like some kind of larvae. Thankfully I have NOT seen any more!!!
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
Do any of your cats go outside? Maybe it got caught in their fur and came in with them.
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No, nobody goes outside. I think whatever it was must have hitch-hiked in on my clothing. I'm just so thankful it wasn't a parasite that could cause harm to the cats -that was my first, panicked thought!
 
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