We received a question from a reader a little while back about a worm she found in her sheets while using a lint roller. (To address the terminology issue up front, we should note that she probably found a larva in her sheets, not a worm, so we’ll use “larva” from here on out.) The reader shares her room with a cat, and although she doesn’t let the cat on her sheets for shedding-related reasons, she thinks the cat might be responsible for the larva’s presence in her room. If not, she suggests that it might be coming from her (the reader). In addition to the origin question, she also wants to know what the larva is, so we’ll address both of these matters below.
Here is the picture the reader submitted along with her question:
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We’ll begin by saying that we don’t think this could have come “from” the cat or our reader, although it isn’t entirely clear how we are to understand that preposition. We suppose it is possible that the larva hitched a ride onto the bed on either the reader or her cat, and thus could be “from” one of them in this sense of the word, but that is really the only sense. The types of worms that afflict cats are for the most part internal parasites, not creatures one finds lying around one’s house. Cats can also have fleas, giving rise to flea larvae, but flea larvae don’t look like the creature pictured above. As for humans, we simply aren’t sure how a larva could be from the reader except in the way described above (the hitched-a-ride theory), so we’ll leave the issue at that.
We are reasonably confident in this first part of our answer, but we are struggling to come up with an identification. Our first thought was that our reader might have found carpet beetle larvae, an answer we give in response to about 5-10 percent of the questions we answer. The elongated body is similar in shape to a black carpet beetle larvae (Attagenus unicolor), and we thought the long extensions on the end of its body were the hairs that are found on the anterior ends of these larvae. However, when we took a closer look, it looks like these extensions could actually be on the front end of the creature, and thus they might be antennae. In which case, our reader might have actually found an adult insect and not a larva at all. However, adult insects have six legs that are generally visible, which this creature doesn’t have, and it is in the larval stage when the legs are harder (or impossible) to see, which is why we still think this creature is a larva. One final thought is that our reader might have found an earwig, one that is perhaps still in the larval stage, but we don’t assign a high probability to this suggestion. It simply has the approximate body dimensions of some earwigs, which also often have long antennae.
Unfortunately, we can’t give our reader a definite identification, but she can at least take some comfort in the fact that the creature likely didn’t coming “from” her or her cat, at least if we understand this fairly literally.
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I am also dealing with these “things”!! No one believes me and I’ve lost custody of my baby’s cuz I’m labeled insane and a danger to my children!! I cry everyday cuz I can’t even get doctor’s to help me. They morph into my food and I lose a lot of weight to where I WANT TO DIE!! I am so shocked when I read your post about them l these things, I thought I was the only one…. I’m scared shitless of them!! I’ve been dealing with them since 2017!! My baby’s have them in their poop and other places and it sucks how you didn’t know they’re there cuz they are invisible, but then it stings you and leave a glues looking shine on my skin!! Please let me know if you ever find a cure!! I can’t talk to anyone with out them thinking I’m on drugs or crazy. I literally have mental break downs and cry hysterically every single day, and now I got my mother hood striped from me! I didn’t know how to describe what I am dealing with. I also believe they’re an alien species of some kind…. Absolutely mind blown!
I have been suffering this for almost 10 YEARS . I leaned long ago to speak to no one including my doctor and family about what is happening to me . They are in my skin , ears, eyes, mouth , privates, and in my blood . The have many many cycles to their existence. I have not heard anyone else mention this but my hair is no longer my hair . I can cut it , color it, and style it like my hair , but upon examination of a single strand I find a thinking , watching intelligence to it . Also the stands can phase through eachother . They cannot be killed . Even when burning them they simply become a burnt smaller version of themselves that is still alive . I can dissolve them in chemicals , but when the remaining liquid dries up it can be scraped together and it becomes whole again . I can shred them into a thousand tiny pieces . But each piece is alive and independent . Then when put with the other pieces , it reconnects itself and becomes whole again like it was never torn into pieces . They do not follow the natural laws of this planet . Lately I’ve begun to suspect that this is an alien phenomena. Perhaps we have been invaded by alien beings but instead of little green men , they are these highly advanced parasitical organisms that are slowly taking over our bodies . And eventually, our planet . I’ve given up hope for a cure . They are so far more complex , brilliant , and devious than anything humans have ever had to deal with! What a genius way to invade and overtake us – we never saw them coming . Those of us that notice and cry out are labeled crazy. And ignored to suffer in silence .. my face has been transformed as they are literally eating me . When I place two of the organisms together , they fight eachother viciously . This may hint at what may be our final destination with this invader: as we are slowly overtaken by this thing we may turn on eachother . God Bless all of you . We are the forerunners to a phenomena which I believe will one day be known to all human kind. And may very well be the ultimate battle for humanity . I do not know how we can ever overcome this . By the time it is recognized – it very well be far too late .