“After sweeping my floors, I noticed a lot of black dirt under my cat’s scratching pads. As I stared at it, I noticed it was moving (wiggling)”, writes Rebecca in her submission. “They are very tiny, black in color, and have no legs. You would think it’s just dirt. It’s not just one, there are many. I feel that they are larvae of some type. What are they? Unfortunately I did not take a picture.” In response to that last sentence, it will be very difficult to identify these organisms based purely on this context; tiny, black worms are not very rare, and this description matches a lot of species of worms and worm-like creatures. Additionally, although Rebecca does not tell us if her cat is an outdoor cat, seeing as she first thought the worms were dirt, we assume it is. That broadens the possibilities of these creatures’ identity further, as we would assume these are worms that the cat accidentally brought in from outside.
Our guess is that either Rebecca or her cat has been tracking dirt into the home accidentally, which has built up under the scratch pads, as maybe the underside of them does not get swept as often as everything else. Of course this is an assumption on our part. Nevertheless, going with this line of thought, we think there might have been insect eggs inside the dirt which then hatched under the scratch pads, thereby spawning all of these worms that Rebecca found. Alternatively, the worms may already have been alive when they were brought in. If they have been alive for some time, then it is possible that some of the dirt under the scratching pads is actually droppings from the creatures. If these did come from outside, and are as tiny as Rebecca makes them out to be, then we do think they are some type of insect larva, rather than actual worms.
Now, one thing that we are not clear on, but which would make a big difference here, is if all of the dirt Rebecca found turned out to be organisms, or if there were organisms present in the dirt she found under the scratching pads. So far, we have been operating under the assumption that there was dirt under the scratching pads, and she found creatures inside the dirt. If it is the other way around, then we are more inclined to believe that these are some type of larvae that move in a writhing mass, much like the fungus gnat larvae. These guys will pile on top of each other as they migrate to find a place to pupate (metamorphose into their adult forms), forming one big train, or snake-like creature, made of larvae. Maybe the critters Rebecca found are indeed fungus gnat larvae. They feed on mulch, algae, moss, and other organic debris found in soil, and they are not harmful to humans or cats. Of course, we cannot promise that these are fungus gnat larvae without more substantial context or a photo. So, if Rebecca is concerned for her cat, she should take it to the vet.
In conclusion, we do not know what Rebecca found under her cat’s scratching pads, which is simply due to a lack of a photo. We hope nonetheless that we have been able to help to some extent, and we wish her and her cat the very best!
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