Topic: Cat has worms! (Read 8408 times)

michelle_w · « **Reply #31 on:** November 11, 2009, 00:34:30 AM »

Jack definitly seems a bit better food wise, maybe it is also to do with changing his feeding, and him just adjusting. I assume the worms must have been quite bad for me to actually see them coming out, and with Jack being sick. I already use frontline once a month and generally drontal tab him every 3 months. As someone said about taking a while to destroy the worms problem should I maybe worm him again in a couple of weeks to be on the safe side? Wont do him any harm will it?

I have to admit I was using a spot on wormer a little while back as tablets were hard work! But when Jack got herpes virus he had a bit of a sniffle with it so he was prescribed anti biotics for that and had to give him a tablet every day for a week so used to it now! And it is cheaper. I say used to it, my partner holds him down why I give the tablet!

purrdy1 · « **Reply #30 on:** November 10, 2009, 18:47:17 PM »

yup, I regularly worm and frontline my girls. they tend to get a lot of ticks here too and teh frontline is great for that...long gone (or i hope) are teh days of putting your poor cat inside a pillow case to cover them in flea poweder!!! ugghghghgh

Frontline is fab a spot on the neck, they hardly know anyting about it...Worm pills can be a bit trickier!!! hmmmm

....Mollie took hers with a little butter....but Tigger fought to the bitter end....eventually taking it and having a small whiskers treat

Lucky its not too often but regular worm/flea/tick treatments do help as a lot of the time these parasites are cyclular!...eggs larvae flea etc.....

well done for spotting it!

Love k xx

Mark · « **Reply #29 on:** November 10, 2009, 16:43:42 PM »

I had to treat Alice once a fortnight for 8 weeks until hers were gone. She had been wormed at the cattery but obviously, living rough, she had a bad infestation, possibly the reason why her stomach is bloated to this day (all kinds of tests were done)

Millys Mum · « **Reply #28 on:** November 10, 2009, 12:51:02 PM »

They can be treated every couple of weeks and sometimes thats the only way to shift everything, the problem with worms is you dont know they have them until theres so many they cause a problem

With tapeworm its important to sort the fleas aswell as thats one way of transmission.
I also alternate what i give, drontal a couple of times then they get milbemaxed just incase of resistance

michelle_w · « **Reply #27 on:** November 09, 2009, 21:10:43 PM »

Weel every time hes been vets for vaccs and general check up they just say the usual every 3 months, but until now I hadnt actually seen him having worms so that wasnt an issue. But in future if he gets worms again can I just give him another tablet? Anyone know how long you have to leave between giving one and another?

Millys Mum · « **Reply #26 on:** November 09, 2009, 19:30:54 PM »

2-3 pouches plus some dry doesnt sound like mad rations, he is adjusting from being able to snack all day to having structured meals, which is a good thing imo.

Definately keep reworming him, does your vet have a suggestion for a worming plan?

michelle_w · « **Reply #25 on:** November 09, 2009, 17:18:24 PM »

Thanks for the replies everyone. My cat is only 2 yrs 8 months old so isnt a senior. The main change in his food that I have done is no longer leaving any dry out between meals at all. I was doing this mainly because my other cat is much smaller and doesnt eat a lot but Jack was just eating it all and letting her go hungry, so now whenever I feed them I do over 2-4 meals and watch them why they eat. I have been feeding more regually as the vet said this can help weight loss if feed less more often.

I never know exactly how much he should eat. Poppy I just feed when she wants some as she is only 3.3 kgs no weight problems at all. But never 100% sure with Jack. The recommened on the boxes of food vary between the different brands and they get quite a mixture. At the moment I am feeding between 2-3 pouches a day and some dry depending on how many pouches of wet he has.

He does seem a little better with the hunger, I have keeping an eye on how much he is definitly eating (have cut my partner out of feeding duty in the morning so I know exactly how much I have given him!) If anyone has any advice on amount of food etc I would be grateful as I am not clued up on cat diets i.e. amount of fat etc in foods. Will keep an eye and if still having the problem in a week or so even increasing his food if need to will get him checked over.

Michelle.

sqeekyjj · « **Reply #24 on:** November 08, 2009, 22:44:04 PM »

Hi, I'm new here (so please be nice)

One of mine (I couldn't put their pictures in a signature, but I currently have three four legged tyrants) demands food, and if he doesn't get it immediately (for example if it's about 4 hours too early), he stomps off and searches for plastic to eat just out of my reach, glaring at me as he does so. He knows it's bad, but does it purely out of spite. I'm practically neurotic about kids leaving any plastic around because of this. No real medical cause, just him being a pain and knowing it will get me launching out of my seat to catch him!

Worms never really bothered me. Cats get fleas, cats get worms: it's something that animals do. But then again, I was pretty much feral as a child, spent more time on the floor with the animals than up with humans. If I could persuade my mother to get the cats some medicine, I would give it to them. But then, she never hoovered upstairs, so it was probably pointless anyway. I dread to think what nasties I caught over the course of my childhood!

Millys Mum · « **Reply #23 on:** November 08, 2009, 18:47:51 PM »

How old is he? Increased appetite can be a sign of many ailments so i think id up food and get him a check up, many vets offer a senior check up package (if hes older in his years that is)

Mark · « **Reply #22 on:** November 08, 2009, 10:45:59 AM »

I would definitely get a vet to have a look at him - eating lots and losing weight can be a sign a quite a few things, including thyroid problems. Licking odd things like floors is called Pica and can be a sign of things like anaemia - which can be caused by worms.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #21 on:** November 08, 2009, 00:42:31 AM »

I would be a tad worried cos he shouldnt lose weight very quickly, maybe you have cut the food too much, also licking strange things can be caused my something missing in his system or the precursor of an illness.

I would up his food myself and see if the licking and howling stops and if not speak to a vet.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #20 on:** November 07, 2009, 23:24:04 PM »

How much do you feed him now you have cut back? Would you say he is a large, medium or small cat?

I've noticed appetites of ours have increased over last few weeks. Think it's down to time of year. Our Ruby was licking the cat mat under food bowl the other day and I gave her a milbemax worming pill just in case although haven't noticed any symptoms.

michelle_w · « **Reply #19 on:** November 07, 2009, 12:01:28 PM »

Still a bit worried about Jack. Wormed him when I realised he had worms on Tues. He seems fine again hasnt been sick etc but he is still astonishingly hungry. I do not know whether this is related to the worms or a seperate issue. A few weeks before I noticed the worms I cut his food a little as he was a little overweight about 5.5 kgs. He was at the vets last week due to a flare up in his herpes and his eye was bad again. When weighed he was down to 5.2 kgs, so I thought good the cut back on food is working! But now it could have been the worms. So since I cut back on his food he has been a bit more hungrier than usual but recently its quite bad. Early this morning 6-7 hours after last food he was making noise in our bedroom looking for the treats, and he was trying to eat the plastic plant in the corner of the room! He was even licking the floor at one point - now this is not his usual behaviour and it has been like this last fwe days atleast. Could the wormer not have worked properly? I am unsure what this may be.

Michelle.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #18 on:** November 05, 2009, 18:25:01 PM »

Tablets are digested and passed through so dont offer protection for a length of time, if you use a spot on say stronghold thats in the blood for a month so i would guess the anti worm chemical would be active for the same amount of time the flea part is (this would only regard roundworm)

Mark · « **Reply #17 on:** November 04, 2009, 21:30:26 PM »

Once the wormer has gone through them, they can catch them again straight away - no easy answer to this problem.

michelle_w · « **Reply #16 on:** November 04, 2009, 21:21:45 PM »

Thanks for the replies everyone. It was a shock wehn I saw the discusting little thing

I gave him a drontal XL tablet and fleaed him last night to be on the safe side! So just so I know - with flea treatment etc you give once a month and it will kill any fleas and then work and protect against fleas for approx 1 month. Is this not the same with wormers? If you give a tablet which will then kill off the infestation does it not protect against worms for any amount of time, or would the cat get them again if he became exposed? I do every 3 months and I must admit I thought they were also a preventary measure too?

Michelle.

Mark · « **Reply #15 on:** November 04, 2009, 19:25:45 PM »

Droncit are the spot-on wormer but they only do tapeworm. Depending on the weight of the cat you sometimes need to give 2. They are OK to use if you use stronghold or advocate flea treatments as they kills the other types of worms as well as fleas.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #14 on:** November 04, 2009, 19:04:09 PM »

Quote from: Bazsmum on November 04, 2009, 14:40:07 PM

Ive only recently seen Droncit on VetUK, are they any good...They look smaller than Drontal!?

Droncit treat tapeworm only and arent really smaller, you give a half as one treats 10kg

Oral treatments are better than spot ons but spot ons are better than nothing

Even cats that dont hunt need regular worming as the cysts can hibernate in muscle tissue ready to infect at any time, you dont tend to see any signs until a heavy infestation is there

Bazsmum · « **Reply #13 on:** November 04, 2009, 14:40:07 PM »

Ive only recently seen Droncit on VetUK, are they any good...They look smaller than Drontal!?

madasacatter · « **Reply #12 on:** November 04, 2009, 14:38:06 PM »

If tapeworm is suspected, be sure to treat for fleas as well. I prefer Frontline, and for around the edges of the room, furniture etcetera, I use Indorex to kill off any escapees and eggs or larvae. This is important if you are using tablets, and not the medication that does fleas and worms.

I had one incidence about a year ago and was totally mortified,

the vet was very sweet and he said all it takes is just one flea. Don't worry about it.

AliCat · « **Reply #11 on:** November 03, 2009, 22:09:47 PM »

Hope your cat is feeling better soon!

Mark · « **Reply #10 on:** November 03, 2009, 19:18:26 PM »

I'm sure profender is fine for most things but he said a tablet is better and quicker for a known infestation.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #9 on:** November 03, 2009, 19:06:38 PM »

My vets are quite happy to give a spot on wormer and thats what my nontablet takers have and only once a year

Mark · « **Reply #8 on:** November 03, 2009, 18:29:07 PM »

Quote from: Janeyk on November 03, 2009, 17:48:12 PM

Good luck reminds me I have to worm mine tonight, just a thought but because mine are funny with tablets I have got the Profender spot on wormer so worth a try if you have probs with the tablets.

My vet doesn't rate profender and says you can't beat a tablet that goes through the system. I much prefer Milbemax as the tablet is much smaller that Drontal and beef coated - if they aren't fooled, they are easier to hide in food or a treat than Drontal. As you can only get them from the vet, I always make sure I have a few in the drawer. They had a long term offer 4 for the price of 3 - not sure if it is still on.

bastet · « **Reply #7 on:** November 03, 2009, 17:49:03 PM »

Drontal usually clears all worms, I've never had any problems with it with my cats, however the dosage is dependant on body weight. I can't remember what size pill to what weight cat but the vet should be able to tell you. I know one of my Lads, Leo (AKA Wobbly Bob) has a larger dose than the others because he's a huge lad. My vet also said that if the cat is a regular hunter they can be re-infested quite soon after taking the pill. She recommends worming more frequently with hunting cats, so as Bob tends to live mostly outside and feed himself from the local wildlife during the summer he gets wormed every 6 to 8 weeks.

Janeyk · « **Reply #6 on:** November 03, 2009, 17:48:12 PM »

Good luck

reminds me I have to worm mine tonight, just a thought but because mine are funny with tablets I have got the Profender spot on wormer so worth a try if you have probs with the tablets.

Mark · « **Reply #5 on:** November 03, 2009, 17:47:38 PM »

The tablet should clear it. Once in a while when a cat has a bad case, it can take a few doses (2 weeks apart) to shift it. The problem with worming is it isn't a preventative - so in otherwords, you could worm your cat and it could go out the following day and get worms again. I don't know why they say to worm every 3 months. Cats that catch birds and mice should be done more often - maybe once a month but best to check with the vet on this.

michelle_w · « **Reply #4 on:** November 03, 2009, 17:27:03 PM »

Thanks for the replies. I rang the vet in the end just to ask about worming him again double check. They said it was fine and to do it once and if doesnt clear then take him in. How serious can worms be? I have never dealt with them before and in the last few hours since I saw the first once I have found 3 ones coming out his bottom. I am waiting for my partner to get back from work as only have one tablet left and dont want to risk not doing it properly as he is hard work with tablets. No matter how bad the infestation should the tablet still clear it?

Michelle.

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #3 on:** November 03, 2009, 17:08:38 PM »

Sounds like tapeworm - drontal does all types of worms I believe. I would have thought ok to worm again.

clarenmax · « **Reply #2 on:** November 03, 2009, 16:30:01 PM »

Hi Michelle

I'd double check with your vet as to what dose can be given again, just to be on the safe side

Although after 8 weeks, should be OK to re-do I would have thought?

michelle_w · « **Reply #1 on:** November 03, 2009, 16:01:05 PM »

Hello, just after some advice really. I have just realised my cat has worms. I know because I saw something white near his bottom and upon inspection realised what it was. I have never seen worms before but assume this is what it is as it did move when I took it off. He is regually wormed with drontal XL tablets and was done just over 8 weeks ago. He has been a bit sick recently and he is a bigger cat and is on a diet but he does seem hungrier than usual. All making sense now.

I was just wondering if another drontal XL tablet will kill the infestation? Or is the tablet more of a preventative measure? Also does it do all types of worms as I have no idea what type of worms he has? Thanks if anyone can help have never had problems with worms before.

Michelle.

Author Topic: Cat has worms! (Read 8408 times)