“I found these worm-like critters living in my cat’s automatic waterer”, writes Linda about the black creatures pictured below. “What are they and where did they come from?” Based on the excellent photo and the context that Linda provided us, we think she found drain fly larvae in the waterer. Drain fly larvae are harmless to humans and cats, but can be quite a nuisance. As their name suggests, they are found near or inside drains, as the adult flies lay their eggs on the organic film that forms in the lip of a drain. They do this because the diet of the larvae largely consists of the organisms that grow in stagnant water, like algae and fungi, as well as microorganisms.

Given that it is possible Linda’s cat ingested some of these flies, we would understand if she was worried about her cat’s health. If she is, we recommend she take her cat to the vet, as only they are qualified and legally able to provide medical advice about her cat. Ingesting drain fly larvae can pose health threats, as they are known to transmit myasis (a type of parasite), but contracting this is not common in non-tropical regions. Likewise, they are not known to spread disease or pathogens. Naturally, since we are not medical professionals, we cannot promise any of this, and only a medical professional would be able to confirm or deny this. Additionally, drain fly larvae can cause asthmatic reactions in humans if infestations of them grow big enough.

Our suggestion to Linda is to deep clean the automatic waterer and to make sure she keeps cleaning it regularly, so that no stagnant water is forming in the drain, and so that the film is consistently scrubbed out. It might also be worth taking her cat to the vet just to be safe. It is also possible that the adult fly/flies laid eggs elsewhere: in other drains in Linda’s house. We recommend that she clean out all her drains just in case, and that she be on the lookout for any more larvae or adult flies (they look like small, furry moths). As long as she keeps regularly cleaning her drains, she should be able to avoid future infestations of drain fly larvae, as they will not have the film to lay their eggs on.

To conclude, we think Linda found drain fly larvae in her cat’s automatic waterer. Given the health risks, we recommend taking her cat to the vet to get it checked. We cannot give any medical advice on that front. We hope this helps, and we wish Linda and her cat the very best.

Summary

Article Name

Worm-like Critters in Cat Fountain are Drain Fly Larvae

Description

"I found these worm-like critters living in my cat's automatic waterer", writes Linda about the black creatures pictured below. "What are they and where did they come from?" Based on the excellent photo and the context that Linda provided us, we think she found drain fly larvae in the waterer. Drain fly larvae are harmless to humans and cats, but can be quite a nuisance. As their name suggests, they are found near or inside drains, as the adult flies lay their eggs on the organic film that forms in the lip of a drain. They do this because the diet of the larvae largely consists of the organisms that grow in stagnant water, like algae and fungi, as well as microorganisms.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton