Expert: Jessica - 7/24/2009

Question
Hi Jessica,

For the 2nd year in a row, we're finding small, black worms in some of our feral cat shelters at our 2 locations. (Each shelter is small, about the size of a doghouse). Some other caregivers feed them regularly, we just do the TNR & rescue any kittens. We don't want to step on anyone's toes, but we'd like to get the worms cleaned out! They're getting in the catfood dishes & are under straw too. Our area has a lot of rain & I'm wondering if that's why there's so many worms. Any ideas on how to get rid of them & make sure they don't come back? Thanks!

Answer
Hi Adele.  I'm just going to take a guess that you're either seeing flea larvae (very teeny tiny black worms) or larder beetle larvae, which are black or brown and grow to about 1/2 inch long.  Larder beetles eat cat food, and in fact, they even eat shed cat fur!  So you will often find the beetles and their larvae collecting underneath bedding, or undisturbed piles of fur, and in cat food if they can get to it.  

The best way to prevent flea larvae from cropping up in the shelters is, of course, to apply monthly flea preventatives to the ferals.  While difficult, this is truly the only very safe option for keeping the shelters free of the pests.  Changing the straw and trying to vacuum out the shelters, if possible, might help.  There are also some flea sprays that could be a valuable tool, but with most products, you will have to keep the shelters open to air out and yet closed off to the cats until they are dry to prevent toxicity.

The larder beetles are a less threatening problem.  They don’t feed on the cats and cause no disease.  Making sure that no food has fallen from the bowls should help lessen the problem, and cleaning the shelters of fur more regularly will also help.  All in all, the larvae are creepy but are no real problem.  

Hope that helps!

Jessica