Tapeworm pills for cats

carmen_grower_2007

15 years ago

I just crushed $20 worth of worm pills in a chicken/salmon food I make for my cats that they love and they just turned their noses up. I only give them the home made food a few times a week so it is always a special treat for them. Otherwise, they eat the dry stuff.

So, $20 will go into the compost pile and the cats will still have tapeworms. Sometimes I wonder if that is such a bad thing anyway when they are otherwise very healthy.

Don't most all wild animals live with parasites? And yes, the money does matter.

BTW, these are mostly barn cats that come inside only to eat and when the weather is brutal.

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Comments (6)

trekaren
15 years ago
tapeworm pills? We had a TW medicine that is similar to flea medicine, that we applied to their shoulder blades. One application got rid of them.

They get them from fleas so if you use antiflea treatment, they ought not to get TW's again once they are rid of the first time.

And if you read about TW's, it's seriously disturbing to think of a 2 foot long parasite in the intestines of the kitties.

And they are very contagious if the cats share beds, bathe each other or share where they poop.
Elly_NJ
15 years ago
Tapeworm meds are systemic, not transderal. So it has to be ingested.

You cannot give a pile of crushed pills in a pile of food to a crew of cats and expect it to work. The dosages will be wrong.

So I guess they will have to live with 2 foot worms in their intestines.
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An old country vet taught me how to give a cat a pill over 30 years ago. I've been doing it this way every since--to my cats and other peoples (when they have problems getting the cat to take a pill) and it's never failed. When you pick up the pill, hold it between your thumb and first finger. Run your other fingers under the faucet to wet them. Holding the cat with your other arm wrapped around it to 'clamp' it to your side, use the hand without the pill in it, to open the cat's mouth. Toss the pill as far back as possible, hold the cat's mouth shut and wipe your wet fingers on their nose. They automatically have to swallow at that point, and the pill goes right down. I can do that by myself, but if necessary--and with your hand situation you may find this easier--you can have someone else hold the cat and open it's mouth while you toss in the pill and wipe the nose with water. That's the method the vet taught me. I've actually done it without the water, even. As long as you touch their nose, and they think there's something there, they can't help themselves, they have to lick and swallow. Hope that helps, and I hope the furbaby is soon feeling much better. (bet you don't want to hear this--but antibiotics, either liquid or pill, always upset my cat's tummy. If yours starts vomiting shortly after taking the antibiotic, call the vet and see what other options you may have.
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Very cute, Toronto Veterinarian! Since we both live in Toronto you will know that we can't "see" a vet - we have to leave the pet at the door. I hate this. Not a chance in this lifetime that I could pill our 2 cats. In fact they will only eat one food (and I have tried many) only available from the vets. Putting liquid meds on a small portion of the cat's food didn't work. Next we got a very small syringe - I would say 50% of the med got in the cat's mouth - sometimes 75% - so we went through a lot of meds. Some pills are not to be crushed - that is a non-issue since the taste of their food is affected. Jasdip - you can get transdermal meds for thyroid issues. Our dog was hypo - but he would eat anything but our cat is hyperthyroid and we give him transdermal methimazole twice a day in his ear. I miss our dog who would eat anything, but it was kind of scary - but useful at times.
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Elly_NJ
15 years ago
Transdermal, not transderal.
Meghane
15 years ago
There is a shot you can give for tapeworms too. They can't turn their noses up at that, however it stings like the dickens. Be careful- you may get bit or scratched if someone else is not available to hold the kitties.

Tapeworms are not pathogenic unless they are so numerous as to cause an obstruction. I've seen animals with tons of tapeworms and non have been obstructed yet. I'd be more concerned about the worms you cannot seen. Hookworms cause anemia, roundworms can cause obstruction, whipworms can cause anorexia and diarrhea.

Yes, most wild animals live with a certain amount of parasites, but they are also eating their evolutionarily-correct diet of raw food, not super-processed extruded leftovers that most pets eat in the form of cat and dog food. So they get more nutrients in their diet than from cat/dog food, some of which we don't even know to include in foods. I have seen dogs and cats in 3rd world countries hunt their own food and eat whatever people throw away, and they have been surprisingly healthy. But they breathe fresh air and eat fresh whole foods and work hard every single day to survive. These dogs and cats are healthy because they HAVE to be.
anicee
15 years ago
I lost a lot of Drontal pills myself trying to deworm my cats until they came out with a new dewormer for tapeworm...the name is MILBEMAX, not only is it good for tapeworms, it also treats hookworms, whipworms and round worms.
The thing with Drontal was the taste. As soon as the cat was tasting the pill, they were drooling and spitting. The Milbemax is very easy to give because it is coated and one pill can deworm a bigt cat of 15 pounds. With Drontal you had to give more than one.

Hope this helps. For myself it has made life so much easier.

AnicÃ©e
carmen_grower_2007
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Meghane. I had heard that but now coming from a vet, it is more believable.

Tapeworm pills for cats

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Tapeworm pills for cats

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