Worms

I found what I believe to be a tapeworm segment crawling around on the underside of the base of my female cat's tale. (Size of a grain of rice, white, crawling) I figure since she has it, my male probably does too. Is a vet visit in order or can this be treated OTC (safely, that is)? Also, if a vet visit is in order, is a fecal necessary to confirm worms? I read they can show up normal even if tapeworms are present.

I would definitely go to the vet. Tapeworms don't show up on a fecal, but it would be a good idea to have a fecal to rule out any type of other worms. Also, while you're there, you can pick up a flea treatment. Until you can get to the vet on Monday, start treating for fleas in your house now.

You may not need to take your cats to the vet's office. . .call the vet and tell them what you saw, and see if they'll sell you the medication without an office visit. But definitely get the meds from your vet, not OTC.

I would take your cat to the vet just to be safe. Sounds like tapeworm, but there are a couple different meds for the different types of worms. (Guessing it's tapeworm, though, by your description).

Also! Before bringing the cats back into the house, be SURE to completely empty, bleach clean, rinse well their litter boxes and put fresh litter; wash all their kitty beds and blankets so it will nip this problem in the bud. (Never understood that saying, but . . .

It's an easy fix, just important to make sure litterbox has been bleach cleaned (to get rid of not only worms but kill ALL bacteria which regular soap some people use won't kill). It only takes a little bit of bleach with lots of water, get a special scrubber for your litter boxes. Make sure is completely dry (I've used my hair dryer even though I thought it was dry just to be sure and found some "wet spots" in there still.

Every-ting-gonna-be-alrrrright!

Warmly,

Julie O'

I would take your cats to the vet if I were you, and yes bring a fecal sample from both cats with you.

No, OTC meds are not safe for the treatment of parasites. And personally, I wouldn't bother with the fecal as it can turn up negative even if other parasites are present.

Is you cat indoor/outdoor? Is the problem from fleas? Or the potential ingestion of a mouse? Because how you handle it is different if you KNOW your cat doesn't have fleas and your home doesn't have fleas or flea eggs in it.

If your cat does not have fleas, and there is NO chance there are fleas or flea eggs in your home, call the vet, and pick up Profender. It will treat most internal parasites:

http://www.petparents.com/show.aspx/...compare-brands

Your cat will need at least two treatments (to eliminate other potential worms), they should be applied three weeks apart.

If your cat does or may have fleas, buy a flea collar, cut it up, and put it in your vacuum cleaner. Pick up Revolution (a topical) and Drontal (a pill) from your vet. Revolution will need to be repeated monthly until the flea problem is gone. Drontal should only need to be given once.

But you should bleach the litter box(es) as suggested, and vacuum your home THOROUGHLY - especially cracks in wood, where the floor meets the wall, edges of carpet - and do this daily or as frequently as possible for the next couple of weeks. The flea collar in the vacuum cleaner will kill the fleas and eggs you vacuum up.

I'd go to the vet to be safe and be sure there aren't any other type of parasytes going in in kitty's system. Better to use a pro than to guess. Much safer.

Warmly,

Julie O'

Originally Posted by Naps With Cats

I'd go to the vet to be safe and be sure there aren't any other type of parasytes going in in kitty's system. Better to use a pro than to guess. Much safer.

Warmly,

Julie O'

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I normally agree, a vet visit is best. But a vet can't see internal parasites, and fecals aren't reliable as they do have many false negatives. In a case like this, I think a vet opinion is best, but a trip to the vet isn't necessary, nor do I feel the expense of a fecal is worth it.

A vet would be able to see if there were fleas or ear mites. But both Profender and Revolution treat for ear mites, and the O.P. should be able to tell if there are any fleas. So the only real question here is what is the source of the tapes - fleas or something the cat ate?

If the cat is indoor/outdoor, it should be treated monthly with Revolution anyway.

Profender treats for all common internal parasites (it does not treat heartworm, protozoa, or lung worm) AND ear mites. It doesn't treat for fleas or ticks. So it's appropriate if the source of the tapes is the cat eating something.

Revolution is appropriate if the source of the problem is fleas, as it will kill the fleas, the round worm, and the tapes.

Of course, consult with your vet and determine what the best treatment for your situation is. I simply see no point in a vet visit for the cat or the expense of a fecal. She knows the cat has at least tapes, and the safe, non-over-the-counter treatment options work for most common internal parasites (tapes, roundworm & hookworm).

To the O.P., if you have reason to suspect your cat has been eating slugs or snails (lung worm), or drinking out of fetid water (protozoa like coccidia or giardia), or your cat has diarrhea (another sign of protozoa problem), then yes, the expense of a fecal is then worth it (though even with these you get false negatives, especially if kitty does have diarrhea).

For my precious ones, it's always better safe than sorry.

I respect your opinion and I hereby agree to disagree.

Warmly,

Julie O'

Having found a worm last week (in our indoor only cats in a home with no fleas or mice), we took the fecal in. It came back negative. So we used Profender on everyone anyway. The $34 for the fecal would have purchased 3 of the 8 required initial doses (we have 8 cats, and we're going to treat them 3 times, each three weeks apart, on the vet's advice).

It's probably Chumley (though wrong litter box). He's our most recent rescue. He had three fecals over the course of August - October, and they all came back negative.

Of course - always better safe than sorry!

The cats are indoor only. The original cause of the worms WAS fleas, they had fleas a few months ago before I moved, and I stupidly didn't get a fecal done or treat for worms. They are flea free now though.

Originally Posted by Naps With Cats

Is your Chumley named after the guy on Pawn Stars, by chance???

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The Chumlee on Pawn Stars (whose real name is Austin) is named after a cartoon penguin. So it could be that, too.

Originally Posted by xcourtney3

The cats are indoor only. The original cause of the worms WAS fleas, they had fleas a few months ago before I moved, and I stupidly didn't get a fecal done or treat for worms. They are flea free now though.

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Oh gotcha. Give the vet a shout, but I suspect they'll recommend Profender. If they do, it'd be best to administer it again in three weeks. Our vet likes a 3rd treatment, but that's for roundworm. Not sure what they recommend for tapeworm.

Originally Posted by Naps With Cats

Is your Chumley named after the guy on Pawn Stars, by chance???

Warmly,

Julie O'

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Well, if the guy on Pawn of Stars is named after the same cartoon. If it is the same one, the penguin is Tennessee Tuxedo, and Chumley is his best friend. We have a "Tennessee Tuxedo" (Tuxie) already. When Chum was "just" a feral, we were calling him Charlie (Charlie Brown Kitty). But we weren't in love with the name, didn't want him to "be" a "Charlie Brown," and it just didn't really fit him. When we brought him inside (after the FIV diagnosis), we renamed him Chumley, after Tennessee Tuxedo's constant companion. "Chumley" in the cartoon is a one-of-a-kind "South Pole" Walrus.

I'm guessing the cartoon was before your time. It was originally aired in the early 60s, though I caught the reruns in the late 60s/early 70s.

Save yourself the vet visit IMO, I can guarantee this is tapeworm, call the vet and describe, and they will dispense the Profender. Tape will not show up on a fecal anyway. Since you said they had fleas awhile ago, then this is how they got the tapeworm. Do not worry one treatment will kill the tape worm immediately . As long as your cats are otherwise healthy, then I would not go in for a visit. I had this same issue with my kittens last Fall when I rescued them from a barn. My vet dispensed for meds for me and all was well...

Not to hijack here, but I found a tapeworm segment on Dot's butt on Saturday night. So this morning I called the vet and told them and they said they'll get the medicine and call me when it's ready to pick up. I assume I'll get Profender, since that's what Genever got when she has a tapeworm a while back. No vet visit required.

The thing that gets me is I've never seen or felt a flea in here, and they don't scratch like they have fleas, AND they just had their latest dose of Advantage on Wednesday! So maybe Dot just came with a tapeworm before we adopted her. Poor girl. She certainly eats and poops well enough, so it can't be that bad. But we'll get rid of it.

Also, the person I talked to at the vet's office told me it might be a good idea to do the Advantage every 3 weeks, or switch to Frontline. We might do that..