I found this one-inch long thing on my kitchen floor today:
http://www.sparklements.com/yuck.jpg

I'm freaking out because I just adopted a new kitty from my local shelter, he came upstairs from the basement into the kitchen for the first time... not long after I found this worm.

Any ideas?

Thanks

I suppose you may be fearful that this is a parasite that may have come from your cat. I can't tell exactly what this is, but it appears to be a moth larva, perhaps a cutworm, or a beetle larva. These are not parasites of cats. Flea larvae are worm-like, but they are very small and don't have a big head. Bot flies are larger, but again don't have a big head.

The worms that can be parasites are nematodes. Nematodes don't have the big head that this creature has. You don't have to worry.

Thank you so much! I now think that maybe it came from underneath the refrigerator, which I had cleaned the day before (I pulled it out to vacuum the back coils) so maybe it was "disturbed" from its slumber. Now I can go enjoy my new kitty!

Thank you so much! I now think that maybe it came from underneath the refrigerator, which I had cleaned the day before (I pulled it out to vacuum the back coils) so maybe it was "disturbed" from its slumber. Now I can go enjoy my new kitty