Tapeworms in Feral

loren rosa

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Hello:

This is my first post. I had a family of three ferals appear in December in my back yard. Mama is 2 years and kittens are now 6 months old. I had them trapped by a rescue group after feeding them for a month. The Humane Society did not treat for worms, but they were all spayed.

I took them inside after the rescue group recovery. They are all in a large bedroom with a couch, condos, toys, shelving units to climb on, and everything they need.

My problem is that Mama has tapeworms bad. The kittens probably do but don't show it. My visiting vet gave me liquid dewormer for roundworms (we saw both types in some vomit) that they all took in food. But they will NOT touch any tapeworm pills in food no matter how I try it. I tried  multiple times in different foods and ways.

The vet said I could put Profender on once they are tamed and it was not life-threatening to have tapeworms. But I think it's making Mama have bladder issues and a bit of trouble peeing in the litter box. Her belly is quite big and her appetite is huge. The kittens don't eat as much so I have to make sure they have adequate food but Mama ends up eating all theirs.

I have had them in there since the end of January. I have a night-vision camera to see them at night. There is a french type of glass door to their room so I can also keep an eye on them during the day.

They used to hide behind a computer desk drawer. Then they hid under the futon. Now they still hide under the futon but come out readily when I'm in the room. One kitten is bold and curious and the other is very shy. Mama is tolerant of me.

I play twice a day for an hour with them. It's progressed to where they come out to play, and I can stroke the backs of two of them while eating. But I can't do that enough to put any medication on their necks, where you have to part fur to put Profender on.

I was told to catch and trap Mama again to take her to the vet but I don't want to stress out three cats at once! Can I wait a while longer for them to be tamer? I really want to be able to put Profender on Mama's neck and if I had the courage, I could scruff her when petting. But I'm afraid to do that and can't do it.

My question is what to do about it, if I can just wait a while longer because she's had these worms for some time? She is eating and drinking water and using the litter box, but not as much as she used to. She does smaller pees. They will use the box when I'm in there and I always look to see what she did.

I was considering putting a crate in there and seeing if she would go in it, then catching her for a vet visit. But is that the wisest thing to do? I want to help them but not destroy all the trust I've gained with them. And it might not work, anyway.

I took the computer desk out and will take out the futon next weekend, just in case I have to do anything emergency-wise. They still can hide in the condos and would run around the room if I tried to catch anybody, so I don't want to do that.

Any advice or suggestions for me? They are very cute and we have stairs next to their room. They come to the door to see who's coming downstairs but run off and hide from everyone but me now.

Thank you!
 

ondine

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Thank you for helping these little ones!

Worms gross me out, so I would take her to the vet and have him/her give kitty the medicine.  (There may be a shot she can get for tape worms - ask the vet.)

If you just can't do it right away, get some food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) and sprinkle it on some yummy wet food.  The stinkier the better, as they will be so absorbed in eating this great food, they'll wolf it down.  Make sure the DE is food grade - you can get it on Amazon.

If you have a PetSmart or Petco, you might also find a product called CapStar.  It comes in gelcaps but you can break them open and sprinkle it on food.  It works similarly to DE, which is fossilized seashells that cut the tapeworms open.  (I just love that image!)

Worst comes to worst, skip a meal or delay one and let them be a little hungry before putting out the DE or CapStar.  It isn't as cruel as it sounds, especially when you think how those stinking worms are torturing her.
 

StefanZ

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If you have a PetSmart or Petco, you might also find a product called CapStar.  It comes in gelcaps but you can break them open and sprinkle it on food.  It works similarly to DE, which is fossilized seashells that cut the tapeworms open.  (I just love that image!)
Slighty inaccurate wording here.  Capstar is a chemical flea killer.  So Capstar and DE are often used parallelly; the one kills fleas instantly, and the other in a little longer run, killing also worms inside.   Also, fleas are an intermediate host of tape worms, so the one follows usually with the other.

Otherwise I do entirely agree with Ondine!    :)
 
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loren rosa

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Thank you both for replying! I will try and put some DE in their food, but they're extremely fussy and wary of any new smell in foods. I used Capstar this morning for all three and that's the only thing they WILL take in food.

My vet said she didn't think DE was effective for tapeworms so I didn't put any in their food but I had bought a large bag of food grade at Tractor Supply. It won't hurt to try it and if they do eat their food with it in it, that would be a big help in my not having to resort to catching before they are tamed.

I don't know why vets don't recommend it for tapeworms. I searched the Internet and pet sites and couldn't find a recommendation for it.

Loren
 

ondine

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Stefan, you are right - thanks for making that clear!

It is my understanding that DE does kill the tapeworms, which have a symbiotic relationship with the fleas.  I am by no means an expert on how it works - I just know that it works.  I use it every year for my outside ferals, who stay relatively parasite free.  At least they were last time we had a vet check-up - about six months ago.
 
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loren rosa

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Do you just sprinkle a teaspoon on the feral's wet food? I read where 1 teaspoon is the dose for cats. Mama was 9 pounds a couple of months ago. The kittens were 4 pounds each. They've all gained a little weight since then.

Also, I got this food grade DE at Tractor Supply and I don't think there's a specific kind that's better than another - just as long as it's food grade and not industrial. It's got betonite in it.
 

feralvr

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Welcome! :hugs: You could always start to feed her inside of a crate with the door propped open. Will she eat with you sitting nearby? This way, IF you need to get her to the vet then you just shut the door unsuspectingly on her the day you need to take her in. I would be watchful of her bladder issue more than the tapeworm issue right now. I don't know much about nursing queens so can't say if peeing more or less is normal and in what amounts. Good that you are so conscientious to them. Wonderful of you to take them in. Profender would be the surest way to rid her of all worms. period. So, if you take her to the vet, then they can apply the product to the back of the head/skull. If a topical product is placed too low behind the head/neck, then they can reach it with their tongues!! I find that the upper back of the skull works best for application.

Found this interesting site on how to use Food Grade DE. http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth.html I do believe you have to feed one tsp. on food once daily for more than 30 days for it to completely kill tapeworm. I have not used it in my feral cats because I never know who is going to eat and when. If you have cats that all eat from separate bowls and on a schedule, then you are in luck with this process.

Much luck and keep us posted!!!! :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes: for the little family.
 
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loren rosa

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Thank you for suggestions and the welcome! As to a crate, she is much too wary and saavy for that, plus it would stress the kittens out to have her trapped as they all were in January. I would have to starve her and I don't want to do that with the kittens. Just seeing a wire crate would make them hide.

She is not nursing anymore since the kittens are 6 months old. They all start eating from separate plates but then Mama likes to push them out of the way to eat their food. So I sit there and keep replenishing her plate while the kittens get their fill. During feeding, I can actually stroke Mama's back now and one of the kittens. The other one doesn't tolerate anything but a touch to the paws at playtime.

I think I might get Profender on her if I didn't have to part the fur. If I could just drop it on the neck, that would work. But you have to part the fur using hands that she would not tolerate without scruffing and I am not brave enough to go that far.

To those who recommended DE, I have some and did a smell and taste test myself today. It's awful. It smells like charcoal ash and tastes as bad. They recommend a teaspoon in the food. But it turns the food into a dark ashy mess and I can't imagine they would even want to touch that. They are very finicky now due to being spoiled since coming to live here.

Her bladder issue started a week ago. She was going in the box during my visit but not going. Then it was just a few drops. But since I started giving less dry and more canned food, plus less food for her during my visit, she is using the box more now and the clumps are getting bigger.

I have a visiting vet for my elderly cat and she can't do feral cats but she is always available for questions or medications. She did see the worms in vomit that Mama had done when I first took them in.

Having three ferals at once is a challenge, especially when you get started on the wrong foot. I should've kept them separated and worked on socialization before introducing a whole room to the three of them. But at the time, nobody said differently from the rescue, and I didn't know what to do.

They appeared in December and would hide under the shed (3 inches of height and dirt) or under neighbor's stuff. It got cold and miserable and I worried all the time about them outside. Some days, they wouldn't come to feed and I would go around the neighborhood with binoculars looking for them, putting out flyers for anyone that spotted them, and watched Mama bring them mice and teach them how to climb trees and hide until she came back from a hunt.

I just know I love them as a family and didn't want them separated. I had a room with windows for them and a French door for them to see us as we come downstairs. I go in twice a day and they have progressed quite a bit. I don't want to set them all back, maybe for good. This Mama picked us for her family - as they always do.

Sorry to be so long but I just love cats more than any other creature. I'm sure you all do, too, and I'm glad to have found this site to connect with. Maybe I can help somebody else at some time.

Loren
 

feralvr

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AW Loren. YOU have a beautiful heart and no matter what - YOU ARE doing things the right way. The best way you know how. Honestly, I don't think there can be right or wrong when you are trying to save, rescue and help feral cats. We all live and learn how to do things better the next time and that goes for anything in life. Your words about loving cats touched my heart as I feel the same. :heart3:

What I meant about feeding in the crate. A medium sized plastic carrier with the door propped open. You can begin to feed her some food in the crate on a plate and some food where you normally do. The only reason I do this when socializing a feral cat that has advanced to the stage of being in the safe room is IF I need to take the cat to the vet, it makes the process much less stressful for all involved. I feed inside a crate 100% of the time while the feral cat is in the safe room. The crate is always in the room as a feeding station. Then, as they begin to trust me and allow me to stay in the room while they eat, I move closer and closer to the crate and just sit quietly. This is how I desensitize them to me sitting near while they eat in the crate. I do this almost every day so that if I ever need to get them to the vet, I just shut the crate door. It works time after time and even for the same cat.

It is extremely important to get the Profender on the back of the head and not on the back of the neck. I have seen many cats able to turn and lick the medication off the back of the neck. The higher up you place it the better. And, it is best to part the hair with one finger and depress with another two. It take a bit of practice before hand but I have done it myself this way as long as you are able to pet the cat while they eat. Most don't even notice it. :cross: :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:

An article that has some great suggestions on socializing. http://www.catnipchronicles.com/may2012/laurie.htm
And another http://www.thecatsite.com/a/handling-feral-cats
 
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di and bob

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I put Profender on my feral, He has short hair so I petted him with one hand and just slid the end down to the skin and squeezed , drawing it down the back of his head onto his neck. Once they feel the liquid you are done, so go quickly! Also, Feralvr is right, back of the head, not down the neck to the shoulders, the first time I applied it, one of mymy cat licked some and it is TERRIBLE, she ran around shaking her head and foamed at the mouth, so be careful. Good luck!
 
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loren rosa

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Wonderful stories from all of you and your ferals! It takes a lot of time and patience, as I am finding out. My day is short with spending 1 1/2 hours twice a day with them and then my other elderly resident cat and my mother and husband. You are all AMAZING!

I do plan to put a crate in there but none of the vets here will see a feral (IF they do ferals) without a wire cage. They want to squeeze them and then anesthetize them to sleep before doing anything. So I guess I'd have to use a wire one. I am waiting to see what happens and if I can spend some more time taming them first. Putting food in there would be hard with three of them. They would know something is up.

They do allow me to sit close to them while they eat. I can stroke the back of two while they eat. And I've even gotten them to eat some food off the fork I use. Just one kitten is too timid to let me touch her while she eats. But I can get close enough to keep putting a forkfull of food on their plates as they eat.

The little gray one with white moustache will come over to me and sit and look up with a little cry when I come in with the food. She is the bravest and most curious.

I will keep watch on Mama. She appears to be using the box okay now, not straining with a few drops, and her clumps are bigger. I add some water to their canned food, too. I give milk replacer on occasion for a treat and moisture content, plus calories for the kittens.

Thank you for the advice on applying Profender. Once I feel confident stroking Mama's head, I will try that. Right now, I am a bit afraid of her turning and clawing me. She tolerates the back okay but the head is a different story. I have to watch the pressure, too. Light is okay but anything harder, like I would have to apply the Profender, and that would spook her. I could always use gloves but then they would KNOW something was up, they are so smart.

She is a dilute calico. One kitten is a light calico and the other is gray with white paws and chest and white moustache.

The light calico kitten layed down near me one day as I reached out to touch her paw. She wrapped both paws around my fingers and stayed there for a few minutes as I closed my eyes and stayed still. Then she decided it was too scary and just got up and ran under the futon. They are all so darned cute!

Loren
 

StefanZ

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. Once they feel the liquid you are done, so go quickly!
Here, like in many similiar situations, it may perhaps help to try and warm up the liquid,  in your hands.  If the liquid isnt cold, it wont be felt as unpleasant, and the reaction - darting away, not so strong....

I hope.     :)
 
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