Common symptoms
To prevent your pet from suffering from terrible pain, you must immediately react to the following external signs that occur if worms live in the cat’s body :
- the mucous membrane turns pale or yellow;
- weight drops sharply;
- the appearance of shortness of breath, cough;
- the coat is dull and tousled;
- decreased appetite or refuses to eat at all;
- Meows very often, and suddenly.
If your cat has a massive infestation of parasites, then just look at your pet's feces and see these worms. If you do not rid the animal of worms in time, it may die.
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How to deworm pregnant cats and kittens
The need to deworm a pregnant cat arises if the owners were irresponsible about preventive deworming, which led to the development of helminthic infestation. Almost all drug manufacturers do not recommend the use of anthelmintics at this time. Either the drug is known to be toxic to embryos, or studies have not been conducted to determine this effect. Therefore, when it is necessary to save the life of a cat, neglecting the fate of the kittens, deworming is carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian.
Be sure to read:
Are worms transmitted from cats to humans: how, are they dangerous, what diseases do they cause, how to avoid getting infected
Most anthelmintic drugs pass into milk; their effect on kittens younger than three weeks of age has not been studied. Therefore, lactating cats are not dewormed during this period. Deworming of kittens up to 6 weeks of age is carried out strictly according to indications, and only approved drugs are taken.
The first deworming is carried out 10 days before vaccination of eight-week-old cubs.
Toxocara feline
Treating cats at home
All anthelmintics can be divided into the following two types:
- broad-spectrum drugs;
- a single-component drug that is aimed at one action.
Preparations for worms of the second type destroy only a specific type of parasite. A wide range of medications are used to combat mixed type invasion. Only veterinarians can prescribe the correct medicine for parasites. Before you start treating worms at home, you still need to take your kitten to the clinic.
Why is it important
When vaccinated, weakened pathogens of various infections are introduced into the cat’s body. They cannot cause disease, but contain antigens. In response, the immune system produces antibodies - special active substances that help destroy “uninvited guests”.
Helminths take away some of the nutrients, causing the cat to experience a deficiency of vitamins and minerals. In the process of parasitism, the functioning of internal organs is also disrupted, the immune system is weakened, and its protective functions are reduced, which facilitates the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the animal’s body. As a result, the immune system cannot provide a full response to vaccine antigens. In addition, if there are two enemies in the body - worms and viruses - the immune system has to fight on 2 fronts, which turns out to be quite difficult for it. As a result, vaccination may be useless: immunity to the vaccine will not develop, and the cat will get sick the first time it encounters the virus. This situation is called “breakthrough of post-vaccination immunity.”
It is especially important to eliminate parasites before rabies vaccination. This vaccination requires an adequate immune response to provide full protection. If the immune system is not strong enough, the cat may become infected with a fatal infection.
Types of parasites
There are three most common types of worms, namely:
- Cestodoses - these include flatworms that cause diseases (dipilidiosis and alveonoccosis);
- Nematoses, representatives of which are roundworms. The diseases they cause have the following names: toxascadia and hookworm;
- Trimatoses are parasites, which include lung worms, flukes and liver worms. Particularly dangerous, since deworming with tablets alone is not effective. The veterinarian attributes complex treatment.
What actions can you use to deworm with a tablet?
This type of pet, unlike dogs, is quite capricious. Although they write on the forums that they were given anthelmintic, they added the pill to raw meat or fish and the pet willingly ate the food along with the medicine. In order to deworm a cat using tablets, there are still several ways.
Features of the procedure
Before vaccination, all veterinarians recommend deworming your cat. For this, the following scheme has been developed:
- If the animal has never received such drugs, then it is necessary to deworm the animal twice. A repeat procedure is possible after 10-12 days. The vaccine is given 5-10 days after the second helminthiasis. However, there are remedies that require a single dose. Such drugs include “Profender”.
- If the animal is regularly treated against worms, a single run is required 5-10 days before vaccination.
The veterinarian will definitely examine the animal before vaccination and make sure there are no worms.
Common deworming tablets
The best remedy for anthelmintic against tape and round parasites, as well as for prevention, is a drug called “Drontal”. The dosage of one tablet is designed for an animal weighing four or slightly more kilograms . If you want to deworm a pet that weighs less, you need to divide the tablet in appropriate proportions. It is important to remember that parasites cannot be removed from kittens using this product.
Drontal
Even no less effective is "Kaniquantel" . One pill of this medication can deworm an animal weighing ten kilograms. This drug, like Drontal, cannot be used to prevent worms in pregnant cats and kittens.
anthelmintic "Febtal" is also in demand among a large number of buyers. One tablet is designed for a three-kilogram pet. It has a specific taste, so it is better to deworm it using one of the previously described methods.
As a result, if you want to deworm an animal using tablets, then it is best to buy one of the proven drugs, namely:
- "Drontal";
- "Kaniquantel";
- "Febtal."
General rules for the use of anthelmintic drugs
The drug is given to the cat in the recommended dosage, usually in the morning - you do not need to tie the use of the drug to meals, but to reduce the likelihood of side effects, it is better to give the drug before meals . Almost all modern medications are given to the animal once; repeated administration is necessary after 10-12 days. After the procedure, it is advisable to take tests and show your pet to a doctor to make sure that the parasites are destroyed.
Along with the use of anthelmintic therapy, it is necessary to observe the rules of hygiene - wash the tray immediately after the cat goes to the toilet, thoroughly clean the places where it sleeps and eats, and also treat them with disinfectants.
Video - How to worm a cat
How to give a cat medicine
Most likely, it will not be possible to persuade a cat to take medicine, so the owner of the animal needs to choose one of the options - to act by force or by cunning.
Method number 1 . The medicine should be mixed with the pet’s favorite treat (the tablets should be crushed into powder beforehand) and the pet should be given a “cunning” dish to eat. Canned foods are best suited for these purposes: pates, mousses and other products that have a puree-like consistency. The disadvantage of this method is that the cat will never eat the treat if it smells foreign impurities in it.
The best canned food for cats
Method number 2 . Use a special device called a piller or a regular syringe without a needle to take the medicine. The drug should be taken into a syringe (crush the tablets and mix with a small amount of liquid) or fix the tablet in a piller, then place it on the root of the animal’s tongue, squeeze the jaws and stimulate swallowing by stroking it along the throat. It is better to carry out this procedure together with an assistant, the downside is the likelihood of revenge on the part of the offended pet (in retaliation for violence, some cats may tear clothes or furniture, urinate in shoes, etc.).
Special device - peeler
Important! When deworming, minor side effects are allowed in the form of salivation or gastrointestinal disorders, which go away on their own within 1-2 days. If your cat has a fever, lethargy, pain or other alarming symptoms, you need to show her to the veterinarian, and in the future, choose a different anthelmintic drug.
Video - How to give a cat a pill
Folk remedies for worms in cats
Traditional recipes for the treatment of helminthic infestations in cats are considered safer for health than pharmaceutical drugs, but in reality this is not the case. They can also cause side effects and negatively affect the health of the pet, and, in addition, their effectiveness is several times lower than that of medications.
- Pumpkin seeds. Take 5 g of peeled pumpkin seeds, chop, mix with the same amount of lard or vegetable oil, and then feed the mixture to the cat. Repeat the procedure for 5 days in a row, and a new portion of the medicine must be prepared daily.
Pumpkin seeds
- Onion. Divide an ordinary onion into parts, pour a glass of well-boiled water, and let stand for half an hour. Give the resulting liquid to the animal on an empty stomach, 1-2 tablespoons for a week.
- Garlic. Grind one clove of garlic and mix it into cat food, feed the cat one clove of garlic once a day for 7 days.
Onions and garlic have anthelmintic properties
- Tansy. Take a tablespoon of the dried plant, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour, then filter and give the cat the infusion 2-3 times a day on an empty stomach. You should feed your pet no earlier than an hour after taking the medicine.
- Carrot. Carrot juice for deworming cats is used as an enema - inject 20 ml of freshly squeezed juice into the cat's anus every day, for a course of 7 days.
carrot juice
Attention! If helminths have caused intestinal blockage or any other serious complications, you cannot carry out treatment on your own - in such cases you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic.
New deworming remedy "Polivercan"
Some owners begin to deworm cats with a drug such as Polyvercan. This medicine has recently appeared on the consumer market and is beginning to be in demand. The peculiarity is that it is in the form of sugar cubes. Dogs love to eat it, so it is quite easy to deworm them with this drug.
Poliverkan
