OMAHA, NEBRASKA — Made public by the Nebraska Humane Society, two gruesome videos showing a veterinarian pulling out thumb- sized Cuterebra larvae from two kittens’ nostrils went viral on social media.

Cuterebras are parasites whose eggs respond to a host’s body heat by latching onto them, then hatching. Hosts are generally smaller mammals such as dogs, cats, squirrels and rabbits. This mostly occurs in summer and fall.

Once a larva hatches, it can enter the body via the mouth or nostrils, or it may enter the body through an open wound. The larva then creates lesion below the skin tissue, and a hole in the skin is opened by the larva for them to breath. The larva will grow to approximately the size of a the first joint of a person’s thumb.

The infestation usually takes about a month, the Cuterebra larva then crawls out of the skin, falls to the ground and pupates. Then the life cycle begins all over again. Some lesions become infected and pus can be seen; however, normally, a veterinarian can diagnose it just by visual inspection of the lesion.

As for the condition of the kittens, according to Nebraska Humane Society, the kittens are recovering well after the removal.