worming frequency

hareting

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How often does an adult indoor cat need to be deworm?

Are they any risk or healthy concern involve for giving them the worming medication?
 

arlyn

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Are they indoors only, indoor/outdoor?
Are they on flea prevention?
If they are on Rx flea prevention, they should never need to be wormed (if indoors only) after any worms they had as kittens are gone.

If they are indoor/outdoor, keep them on a good Rx flea/tick/mosquito prevention and simply have a fecal done looking for parasites at their annual checkups.
 

beandip

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I only deworm mine if I SEE evidence. Some people take a stool sample in regularly, say yearly...

Get any worming meds from the vet...those are the safer ones. I would not use anything from the pet store, etc. Not safe IMO.

If you SEE any worms in stool, or worse yet, in vomit, then they need to be dewormed regardless of the interval.

If they ever get any fleas (indoor cats can) then tapeworms are likely. You can treat for just tapeworms with meds from vet. Tapeworms are usually obvious as you can see the segments on their bottom...or in their stool. In that case, I would say the interval is as the evidence presents itself. I'm not sure what is "too often".

If they ever catch mice, then I'm not sure of the interval but worms are likely in that case and I would ask the vet. Bugs, like roaches can carry hookworm for another example.
 
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hareting

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My cats r perfectly healthy.

I asked this question becuz I've been talking to one of my friend in Hong Kong, who owns 3 cats, straightly indoor.

She told me that her cats r being dewormed once a year, recommended by her vet as a safety prevention.

I was shocked to hear that, becuz my vet here in Canada doens't do that, my cats has only been dewormed when they were kitten.

I wonder if worming once a year for adult indoor only cats r neccessary, or her vet is just trying to make some money out of this. Also I want to know if the worming medicine could be harmful to the cats if given regularly.
 

beandip

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Well, some vets will go a step further and want to test a stool sample yearly FIRST...well on one hand then if the sample comes up clean then you avoid giving unnecessary meds...but on the other hand - given the choice between preventative deworming or testing samples just "because", I would choose to deworm w/o the test. I hope that makes sense. I think yearly stool checks for indoor cats is a bit of overkill....others feel differently. Stool checks are not 100%, either...

If I wanted/needed worm meds from my vet, they would just sell them to me w/o an exam, if they had seen the cat oh, anytime in the past year. The meds run me about $10 per cat (2 doses) so I wouldn't say that's much of a profit maker for them.

So, no I don't really think the vet is just trying to get money.

No, I don't necessarily think it's necessary to deworm on a regular schedule (for indoor cats).

But, yes...depending on the environment, an indoor cat can get worms much easier than one might think...by eating fleas (even one, if it's the right one), mice, bugs, etc. We can even bring the eggs in on our shoes, from the grass.

So if I see the slightest clue that one of my cats has worms, I do deworm.

I don't think the medicine is harmful if it might be needed, but if it's not needed I would not give it. After all, it is worm POISON...so I try to be somewhat cautious with the frequency, based on necessity.

I hope that helps.
 

chromodactyl

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Im really interested in this cos i was discuss same thing with my breeder.My vet and most vets here want you defleaing every month and worming every 3.Cat is traumatised each and every time and wonder if this is excessive
 

sharky

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Well here is how the conversation went with my vet...

Zoey is eating mice should I worm her and the others>>???

Vet : Have you seen a worm???

No

Vet : No you dont need to .... And cats dont get worms via sharing food litterboxes etc..
 
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hareting

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oh really?????
most of the vets out there just treat all the cats who share litterbox if one cat is infected, so I've always thought they can get infected from sharing litterbox...and worms eggs r usually in the feces...

sharky..so I suppose your raw fed cats don't get regular worming?

Another friend of mine has a indoor, raw fed cat (commercial raw food) who's just diagnosed with roundworms. Her vet, who doen'st approve of raw diet, jumps immediately to the conclusion that it's from the food. Although my friend knows that this vet has very little knowledge regarding nutrtion (it's one of those vet that's in love with hilll's), the idea of raw giving her cat worms is bothering her. It took me a while to talk her out of feeding science diet and friskies, I certainly don't want her to go back to feeding those crap. It's good if I could tell her that many other raw feeders out there has no problem with worms.


Originally Posted by sharky

Well here is how the conversation went with my vet...

Zoey is eating mice should I worm her and the others>>???

Vet : Have you seen a worm???

No

Vet : No you dont need to .... And cats dont get worms via sharing food litterboxes etc..
 

sharky

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well nearly 2 yrs of trying some type or raw NO WORMS... but I am selective of what is eaten
 

beandip

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If it's of any help, my cats eat a commercial raw food and they don't have worms.

Most cats are born with roundworms...and there are other ways to get them. Food is no worry for me.
 
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