Best medications for Feral Cats

Welcome.
One or two cats in my small community cat colony have what I suspect is a flea allergy. I can't get close enough to them to put on Frontline or similar medication. I tried putting DE in their food, they didn't touch it.
I was helping a woman feed feral cat colonies in Athens (Greece) and she indicated they (Nine Lives) put some type of medication in the cats' food which kept the fleas well under control.
Do you have any suggestions for medications that are easy to give a feral/stray cat--for fleas, worms, etc.? (I volunteer for a cat sanctuary and can probably get any drugs from them.)

Thanks.

Great question!  I'm sure other people have wondered this same thing!  Many spay/neuter clinics can apply a topical flea control product while the cats are anesthetized for surgery, but if your cats are already sterilized then we'll need to cover other options!

There are oral flea medications, such as Capstar, that can be added to the cats' food, but monitoring the dosage can be tough for cats who share food or who may not eat all the food they're given.  If you do choose to try an oral medication, you may try withholding food for 1-2 feedings prior to giving the flea medication.  The cats may be more likely to finish all the food they're given and, subsequently, eat all the medication as well!  If you typically feed dry food, you might want to put the medication in wet food, since that may be more appetizing and perhaps they'll be more likely to finish it.

Another way to control the fleas in an area is to treat the environment where the cats hang out.  Treating community/feral cats with topical or oral medication can be difficult, so some caregivers try this tack instead.  If you provide outdoor shelters for your cats, change the bedding in them at least twice a year.  (And remember to use straw for bedding, not blankets, towels, or hay.)  You may want to change it more often if you suspect fleas!  When you change the bedding, you can sprinkle some of that food-grade DE - diatomaceous earth - in the bottom of the shelter.  (DE is available to order online, and make sure you get the food-grade just in case the cats ingest any.)  You can also sprinkle DE around their feeding area, and any other areas the cats hang out.

As for worms, community cats can acquire them, and there are a few different types of worms.  Again, a veterinarian can treat the cats with a dewormer when they go in for surgery, but if they're already spayed/neutered then we need other options!  There are liquid dewormers with a wide safety margin - like pyrantel pamoate or panacur - that you could mix in with wet food.  If you can identify the types of worms your cats have, that will certainly help determine which dewormer you need!

As always with medical issues, it's good to talk to a veterinarian about the safe and correct course of action.  Hopefully this helps give you a starting point about what to ask about!  Fleas and worms are a natural (if annoying!) part of life outdoors, but hopefully these tips help you control them and help your cats be a bit more comfortable!

-Amanda

Thanks, this helps a lot. These cats have been spayed/neutered.
These cats largely live/stay in the woods or under people's cars (condo complex). I can sprinkle DE around the feeding area which is behind the dumpster. I thought Capstar was a one-time application only; it kills the fleas on the fur but not the ova?
As for worms, these cats dumpster dive, hunt and probably drink contaminated water (giarda), so I imagine an 'all purpose' dewormer would be best.

You can also use Comfortis for cats. But, you will have to hide it in wet food and be sure the target cat eats it. Good luck with that, but you could try trapping the target cat for the monthly dose of flea meds....either topically or orally in food. I've found that most healthy colony cats don't really get fleas. So, try to feed the best food you can to keep the cats healthy. :-)

That's good that you're already treating the environment where the cats live and hang out.  You're right about Capstar - it kills adult fleas but not the eggs. It sounds like you've got good connections in terms of access to medications and vet advice, so I would definitely ask about which particular dewormer is best for the cats you care for!

-Amanda