what to do about tapeworms

My cat Mew has tapeworms but I don't have money to take her to the vet. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to treat this? I have seen an advertisement online about some pills she can take, but I don't know if they would actually work. Has anyone ever tried these or have any ideas as to the best way to go about treating her without the vet?

Have you asked your vet if they will just sell you the pill(s)? Mine will, if they've seen the cat any time in the recent past. They are dosed by weight, so you'll need to know how much Mew weighs.

EDIT... The pills from the vet were Droncit, which are 23mg of Praziquantel. I would caution you to be careful with OTC products because a lot of them are ineffective or even dangerous. But I do believe that the "trade winds" tapeworm pills are also 23mg Praziquantel (just like the rx type). I hope that makes sense.

Another edit, a link for info about Praziquantel

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1467

If I take a stool sample into the vet, she doesn't charge me for an office visit, just charges me for the pills, which turne dout to be like $18 or something. If your cat has worms, you need to get the correct medicine, or you will just end up wasting money on pills that don't work.

Thanks so much.. I may sound like a horrible owner, but I don't have a regular vet. I've only taken my cats in when I got them fixed. Neither cat ever goes outside and this is the first time I have had any problems with them. I appreciate your help!!

call the vet and tell her you see tape worms in your cat's stool and ask her if she will sell you a pill....

And then frontline her so she won't get fleas. Tapeworms are caused from fleas.

As long as your cat is spayed, no chance of pregnancy or nursing, I would call up and ask for drontal, if you know the weight of your cat, if you don't have a regular vet, they may want to see kitty first. It sounds like she may need a full worming, and drontal has 3 active ingredients, praziquantal, pyrantal, and Fenbendazole, to make Drontal. It will take care of all intestinal parasittes, including the tape worm and the common round worm, it is common for cats to get intestinal parasites or external parasites such as fleas in certain areas without monthly prevention for fleas and mites, and 6 month schedule for worming our cat and dog family members.
There are many reasons to find a vet that you go to on a regular basis. Many benefits, they know your cat, and you build a repor with the vet and calling in a worming medicine would most likely be no problem, but the vet most likely will want to get to know the cats medical history, weight, check pulse, ect, and can also do a full stool sample to see if he/she has any other parasites or bacterias that need treated.

Good Luck.

I would suggest waiting until you have the money to go to the vet. The tapeworms aren't likely to kill your kitty in the meantime but some over-the-counter products could possibly do harm.

I agree you really should get to know a vet and let them get to know you and your kitty so that in future it would be possible for them to help you over the phone if necessary.

Often tapeworms will not show up in fecal matter or at least the sample you take to the vet (which is a typical life situation don't you think). The vet really needs to see your kitty at this point to determine the type of worms kitty has, etc.

You say they are inside kitties so I can only assume that fleas have been brought into the house if the kitties have tapeworm and the fleas are residing in your house which you will need to treat as well. Have the cats had their initial vaccinations? If not, then all the more reason for a vet visit.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Often tapeworms will not show up in fecal matter or at least the sample you take to the vet (which is a typical life situation don't you think). The vet really needs to see your kitty at this point to determine the type of worms kitty has, etc.

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I don't disagree with you at all. I do want to mention a rescue we brought in a year ago, had fleas, and of course tapeworms, it was a very bad case and it was rice like worms that was found all in the feces up to and including, falling out of the anus when she walked. This wasn't one of my adoptive families, just a cat rescued from a bad situation, she was very thin, had anemia she had so many fleas, and tapeworm was one of the parasites keeping her very thin. A month with us and she was a totally different cat in looks and behavior.

I also agree to save money to have a thourough vet exam, but at the same time, I do remember the illness this rescue had due to flea and intestinal parasites, and would hate to think the kitty couldn't get care yet. At the same time, my own situation..I hope was unique, it that the cat was visibly ill.

Is there a vet in her area that one of our members could mention, a low cost clinic, where she could get her cat treated, a full check up and get kitty feeling better. If the owner can see the tapeworm and know what it is, it would be an assumption that the tapeworm infestation is bad, which in turn could also mean a large flea infestation, leading to anemia.

Can the owner ask a friend or family member for help in finances for a short bit to get kitty to the vet now? I don't know many family or friends like that, but I did want to mention it.

Yosemite is very right, this shouldn't be considered life threatening, and in no rush, I just think of my past rescue and the extreme case she had.

I wish you the best of luck!!

May I ask what area of Texas you are located in?

Originally Posted by celticqueen80

Neither cat ever goes outside and this is the first time I have had any problems with them.

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If one cat has tapeworms, the second most probably does,too, so both should be checked and treated.

Originally Posted by jcat

If one cat has tapeworms, the second most probably does,too, so both should be checked and treated.

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Very good point and one I missed.

Originally Posted by celticqueen80

My cat Mew has tapeworms but I don't have money to take her to the vet. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to treat this? I have seen an advertisement online about some pills she can take, but I don't know if they would actually work. Has anyone ever tried these or have any ideas as to the best way to go about treating her without the vet?

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I just found my 9 month old Sophia had tapeworms last week, even though she hasn't had a flea on her since we adopted her in March. So I did some online research and found that they sell Tradewinds Tapeworm tabs(3 per bottle) for $19.99 (online) and $24.99 on the store. Well, I went to the store and they were out of stock, so I ordered the same meds from 1-800-PetMeds and it came to my house within 2 days.
I mashed up one of the pills and put it in her dinner. After 1 bite, she knew there was something "different" abouther food and refused to eat it, although I tried all night to entice her. So, I ended up throwing the food out and the next night I ground up the2nd pill into a fine powder, put it in a syringe with a little water, and my husband held her while I got about85% into her. It's been 4 days and no tapeworms.

I bought the Tradewinds Tapeworm Tabs online, and mixed them with food. My cats each ate only about half the dose they should have had. Then someone on here mentioned that Fish Tapes are the same medicine, but much cheaper. In searching for those, I found instructions for giving them to dogs and cats by mixing with sugar and water (because the medicine is bitter) and dosing with a syringe. So I'm going to try that next. Just be careful to get the right dose - one Fish Tapes capsule is 34 mg, which equals one and a half cat tape worm pills. The dose is 2.5 mg per pound.

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We aren't vets so it really is best to deal with your problem with a vet. Over the counter products don't always work and some are dangerous.

Some folks who have been dealing with strays and ferals for many years may be able to make diagnosing and medication decisions for their cats, but the safest way overall for the rest of us is to take our animals to the vet.

I live in Houston.. in the Heights which is not a cheap area of town. I'm sure everything in my area is over priced. I will probably try to find someplace less expensive in another area of town. I do want to take them both in and I did assume that my other cat Phoebe probably had worms too. I am looking to treat them both & have a vet check both of them out.