Deworming, what's more common

Is it better to routinely deworm cats for Roundworms/Hookworms or for Tapeworms? Tapes come from fleas and there is always a chance of a few fleas hanging around in a many cat household.

But round and hook are more common aren't they?
I just dewormed the whole gang (10 cats) for round/hook. I just wonder if I should deworm for tapes too... as just a routine "get rid of them if they are there" sort of thing.

I think Drontal is the best way to go, since it kills the four main kinds of worms, including the ones you mention. And it's a single-dose pill.

Originally Posted by Jen

Is it better to routinely deworm cats for Roundworms/Hookworms or for Tapeworms? Tapes come from fleas and there is always a chance of a few fleas hanging around in a many cat household.

But round and hook are more common aren't they?
I just dewormed the whole gang (10 cats) for round/hook. I just wonder if I should deworm for tapes too... as just a routine "get rid of them if they are there" sort of thing.

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Treating for rounds and hooks is "relatively safe" per a number of vets if the case is the cat is not infected ... Tape s on the other hand are killed by a much more potent drug and can cause trouble if given to a non infected cat ..


Drontel is my choice as it seems is easier and safer but it is $$

I think round/hook. Tapes I would only deworm if there were some present in a stool sample. Drontal tends to be tough on kitties, IMO.

The vet prefers me to use Revolution for fleas as it covers the round hook and heartworm also. I have Droncit rather than Drontal on hand if I should see evidence of tapeworm. Giving Drontal to a cat using Revolution seemed like too much to me.

One of MIL's cats liked to catch rats at the neighbor's barn and the vet said in such a case it would probably be a good idea to de-worm him regularly.

Of course, now that I have what I need on hand, he seems to have gotten over bringing him mom rat presents all the time.

I think treat for round/hook and only for tape if there's evidence they need it. Tape's easy to see when they have it - there's usually little "rice like" bits on their butt.

We had to use Panacur to treat the round worm. Our old vet handed out Drontal and it was easy because it was a pill - but apparently it just didn't work on this strain of round worm.

Also, if you know the kitties have worms, you pretty much have to bleach the boxes every week and put totally new litter in, otherwise it's just too easy for them to get reinfested.

Laurie

hi Jen, if your cats are indoor/outdoor then I would routinely worm for everything, drontal or droncit work well. If they are adults, I don't think it will hurt them.
Mine hunt and eat all kinds of yucky stuff, so they get wormed routinely, just ask your vet how often is good.
Frontline would fix the flea problem, but it's probably not affordable for that many kitties...
what do you feed them, if I may ask?

Originally Posted by blueheart

hi Jen, if your cats are indoor/outdoor then I would routinely worm for everything, drontal or droncit work well. If they are adults, I don't think it will hurt them.
Mine hunt and eat all kinds of yucky stuff, so they get wormed routinely, just ask your vet how often is good.
Frontline would fix the flea problem, but it's probably not affordable for that many kitties...
what do you feed them, if I may ask?

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She does rescue ... she is feeding them quite good food .. ALL WORMERS are posions and have potential to harm ...

Originally Posted by blueheart

hi Jen, if your cats are indoor/outdoor then I would routinely worm for everything, drontal or droncit work well. If they are adults, I don't think it will hurt them.
Mine hunt and eat all kinds of yucky stuff, so they get wormed routinely, just ask your vet how often is good.
Frontline would fix the flea problem, but it's probably not affordable for that many kitties...
what do you feed them, if I may ask?

Click to expand...

My cats are safe and happy indoors with the exception of one who I will let out occasionally, sometimes, but I am weaning her off of going outside. She is begun to stop begging finally.

I feed Premium Edge, Chicken Soup or Authority. Whichever store I am at when I need cat food and which ever is cheaper.

Starting April, I am buying the large dog Frontline and dosing it down for my cats. It is $42 for one box of Frontline and that can treat 21 cats. So all of my cats for 3 months. Can't beat that!

As for the worms... since they were treated today I dumped all the litterboxes and bleached and refilled them. My boyfriend said he say tapeworm on one of them awhile back, but didn't tell me for awhile and that cat was never treated but I have not seen anymore and the cat shows none of the typical signs of having worms... I am 95% there are no fleas, but as I stated earlier, with a many cat household, you can never be sure there isn't one hanging around. I flea comb and check all the time though.