Question Re: Cats/ Worms

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

Do any of the over the counter remedies work or am I going to have to take my cat to the vet? Just noticed them tonight.

[Susang]

1. I'd head to the vet

Just to be safe. I've never even tried the over the counter stuff. But then I'm the paranoid type. I need that reassuring white lab coat to tell me what to do. ;-)

[Skittles]

2. go to the vet

you can get a pill or a shot. Don't take a chance with the OTC stuff.

[SOteric]

3. If this is the first time you've had to deal with them,

take kitty to the vet.

Some of the OTC meds are quite good, but they aren't effective against everything. My vet will happily recommend OTC products if they'll take care of whatever is ailing the little fuzzy-headed ones.

[aquart]

4. Vet. You want it taken care of.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. Thanks..problem is

I have five cats so if one has them I imagine they all do...yikes!

[ArmchairActivist]

6. Maybe you can save a penny by...

...giving your vet a call first and seeing if you can get away with just bringing in a poo sample. It's possible you can skip the office call and just get the prescription based on the sample, depending probably on your history with your vet.

Last time we had wormies, it was a one-pill treatment, which was much, much easier than the barrage we had to go through with the little craphead's recent bout with giardia. (Yes, giardia. It's not just for backpackers any more, apparently.)

-AA

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Thanks ...I can try that

I do know my vet pretty well and he knows I have a small herd of animals.

It's worth a try.

[Cleita]

8. Actually, I phone the vet and ask them for

worming pills. They want kitty's weight. It's easy to do. Weigh yourself and then pick up kitty and weigh the both of you. Subtract and you have kitty's weight. They will want to know which worm. The tape worms are little rice like things and they usually are the culprit. The pills work on both. So tell them tape worms. Explain that you don't have time to bring the cat in and that you can give them the pills. I am assuming you know how to shove a pill down it's throat. Let me know how it goes. My vet is pretty okay with this.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. I am the shove a pill down a cat's throat master

I am so good at it I can even shove a pill down your cat's throat! :D

I had dealt with worms before, it's just been years since I had to. My cats are indoor and I use Advantage so they usually don't get fleas or causes of worms.

I appreciate all the advice...when you've gotta do it for all of them it gets a bit pricey and I can't imagine they all don't have them.

[Liberal Veteran]

10. Try getting rid of ear mites! Ugh!

What a disaster that was with 5 cats.

[grasswire]

11. tell them about what you see

....and if you already have a relationship with the vet there shouldn't be any problem getting the meds without paying for office calls. Gad. Five office calls at my (former) vet would be $250. Or you might be able to order the meds off the internet. The last med for worms my cats got from a vet was Droncet.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Thanks again, appreciate it

All good info..yeah they're the little white worms. Hopefully he'll go for it.

[VOX]

14. Wow, nsma-we need you at our house! I thought I was a cat-pilling master,

Until my current pair 'o cats. They are the craziest, resist-at-all-cost, fightingest cats I have ever dealt with when it comes to medication.

I love them dearly, but...whew.

Any tips? PM me if possible.

Thanks,
:hi:

[peacefreak]

20. I guess that makes you two

pillers of the community.

[geniph]

22. I am also a master piller of cats

and with really resistant cats, or those who are semi-feral and might damage me, I use pillowcases or towels. Put the cat in a pillowcase (or two if you haven't clipped the claws), let it stick JUST its head out, do NOT let it even start to get a claw out. Hold the cat on its back on the floor, and kneel over it. Put thumb and forefinger of left hand just behind the canines (over the top of the cat's head to immobilize the head), and open the cat's mouth. Have the pill ready in right hand, and QUICKLY get the pill down far enough to trigger the cat's gag reflex. Remove your fingers, but don't let go of the head until the cat swallows. Reopen the mouth quickly to see if the cat's swallowed the pill. If not, hold the mouth slightly open until it does (this is why you have the cat on its back, that way it has to swallow). Let the cat go and praise it immoderately. Give it a treat if it'll take one.

The whole trick is to do it fast, without getting upset or getting the cat upset. The longer it takes, the more freaked the cat will be and the harder the whole operation gets. If you can't do this in three quick tries, stop and try it again, perhaps when you find the cat sleeping (I often sneak up on mine to do things like this when they're groggy). Never frighten the cat while doing this, or yell at it or hit it; that'll just make it ten times worse next time. Cats hold grudges.

With super-resistant cats, you may have to have one person immobilize the cat and the other do the pilling. You can also get a "pill gun", but I have better luck with my hands. I can pill nearly any cat in one try. When I had a diabetic cat that I kept alive on thrice-daily pills for over a year, she got to the point where she'd actually take the pill from my hand rather than have her mouth forced open.

[roguevalley]

13. over the counter is harsh and you might not get the right dosage

for your little baby. I almost killed my cat with
these.

[VOX]

15. nsma, are you talking about tapeworms, or other?

One of my cats had a tapeworm when we adopted him as a kitten two years ago, The vet was able to treat it with one shot!

He said it was a kind of enzyme that simply broke the worm down and made it disappear into the kitty poop. (Hope you aren't reading this while eating.)

Don't know if it will work for other types of worms, though, but it's worth looking into.

Good luck with your kitties -- :hi:

[Bertha Venation]

16. Go to the vet, NSMA.

The over the counter stuff doesn't work.

Don't feel bad; it's a common malady. Treatment at the vet will work.

[Mikimouse]

17. Depends on what type they are...

If they are toxascaris, you can treat them with OTC medication. If they are tapeworms, get the one dose medication from the vet; it's not expensive and works like a charm. Remember, though, that cats usually get tapeworm from ingesting an infected flea, so they are likely to get reinfected periodically. Good luck

[jukes]

18. G/M, Shockie!

If it's the "rice grain" segments you're seeing, that's tape worm. They get them mostly by injesting fleas (or prey w/fleas or tapeworm). If your guys go out, you'll always have a new infestation beginning. Droncet works well, not OTC here, but can be found O/L easily. Here's my australian link, where you can order heartworm meds, flea products, etc w/o costly vet visits/ prescriptions: http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/

If you've found a spaghetti like mass in the litterbox, that's usually more serious and would probably warrant a trip to the vet; pyrantal pomoate will treat this (roundworm) infestation as well as hookworm and whipworm.

With five kitties, you should be getting a multiple-aimal discount from your vet, & they should be willing to help you manage costs by suggesting meds for routine problems so you can shop for them. You also have to think about the stress factor of vet visists, dogs like to go bye-bye, cats usually don't.

I run a shelter for feral cats & haven't had a population below 20 in several years, so I've become adept @ tweaking meds (w/ my vet's assistance) I do my own vaccinations and keep stocks of the most common meds on hand.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

[radwriter0555]

19. THEN treat for the fleas that cause the worms, or else you'll get

reinfested again.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. They don't have fleas, I use advantage

They probably got them from the neighborhood rif-raf that visits my front door. I don't let the furry little bastards out...I really hate "flat cat"

Thanks again for all the advice. Called the vet and am waiting to hear back.

[mr_hat]

21. You could try leaving your cat out in the rain.