How Many Rounds of De-Worming?

picklespepper

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Hi,

I was just wondering how many rounds of de-worming can a kitten need or is safe to have?  Both my kittens, Pickles and Pepper (now 4 months old) have had two rounds of de-worming.  I got them a second round when Pickles threw up a roundworm a few weeks back.  She had always been skinny even though she was eating a lot.  Pepper has always been roly-poly so his second round was more a precaution (they share their food dishes and litter boxes).  But Pickles is still super skinny.  I haven't noticed any improvement on that front.  And now she is eating less.  It's like she eats enough to stay alive but that's about it.  I'm already only giving a 3oz can to split between the two of them at their meals.  Both my kittens have always been picky.  They only like food fresh from the can and won't eat leftovers. And they won't eat the same flavour two times in a day.  But now she's turning her nose up at almost everything except for treats (WHISKAS' TASTY TEMPTATIONS).   She's essentially a gravy-licker.

I'm starting to worry that the deworming didn't work for her.  I haven't found any dead worms in the litter box or anything.  And it's tough to tell if she's constipated because both kittens use the same litterbox and they both only poop in the one upstairs.  I only ever find pee clumps in the one downstairs.  Is it possible the two rounds didn't work?  Or do I need to keep trying to find different foods?  One day she will eat nothing but kibble.  The next she wants cheap grocery-store brands.  The next she wants the top grain-free.  She's still very active and friendly.  She also has a very high thirst drive.  She seems to drink a lot.
 
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picklespepper

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Just to add that PIckles is also very easily distracted.  If she hears a noise or something moves near her she goes to investigate or runs off.  Pepper also likes to eat her food and she doesn't really fight back for her share.  My husband thinks her distractibility wouldn't outweigh her survival instincts but it's hard to say.  My kittens are friendly but skittish.  They spook easily.  And my kids are loud.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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When my boys were about the age of your two, we had the same situation.  One ate much more than the other.  They shared the same dishes, etc.  I was worried sick about Tinky.  So much so that I would try to hand feed him, but he wanted nothing to do with it.  Now, six years later, he's still the same way
.  He's definitely not food driven, only eats to survive

As they grew, but were still less than one year old, Darko was 4 pounds heavier than Tinky, even though he's only 1 day older.  Freaked me out.  And, again, it's still that way
   Darko will eat everything in sight, including Tinky's food, if I let him.  I now feed Darko in one room, Tinky in another, and for every single meal I have to try to figure out a way to get Tinky to eat.  It is what it is. 

So...some cats are just that way.  Some tricks I use with Tinky are to play with him with  a feather wand BEFORE eating (but I have his wet food ready), then I end with his feather wand practically laying in his food.  Since the feather is his "prey", and the food is the end result, it usually works, especially if I flop the feathers slightly right by the bowl at the end.  OR, I cover up his bowl with a piece of paper or lightweight book and wait for him to try to uncover it.  His curiosity usually gets the better of  him and he'll usually uncover it himself.  Then he'll try to bury the food.  When he does this, then i know he's actually interested in it, but for later.  (later to a cat is just a few minutes....at least for Tinky).  He DOES get easily distracted, and when that happens, I cover it back up with that paper or book and when he comes back, we start over again.  Yes, it's a pain, but it works.  Of course, it does requires separate bowls, AND separate rooms, especially if using a feather wand around kittens
 

aprilc

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Deworming for most cats is typically done twice, about a month apart.

When we had our rescue kittens my vet told me they like to deworm kittens every 2 weeks from 8 weeks to 16 weeks.

Talk to your vet (and get your deworming medication there, I have heard horror stories about the OTC stuff), but I would say if you dewormed 3 weeks ago, do it again in a week and you should be fine.
 
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