My cat has fleas and tapeworms!

Hey guys,

So for a while my cat has had a bad case of fleas and began pooping outside her box, and I learned that she has tapeworms. I took her to the vet and gave her a deworming tab and Frontline spray. However, both of which seemed to not work. The fleas seemed to multiply and her tapeworms were not going away.

So I researched more about how to treat this problem and found out about Diatomaceous Earth and its success rate at killing fleas and worms. I started adding it to her food and water, and around the house (bedding and mattress, and wherever she tends to sleep). I think its been around 2 weeks since I've been doing that and there's still fleas and worms, but at a much less severity than before.

BUT! Today I watched her poop to see if anything was going on and there were many MANY worms in the poop! And they were alive! And they looked like they were trying to stand upwards or something.

I wasn't sure if this is a good sign? Does it mean that the DE is forcing the worms out of her body? I'm really confused.

If the DE isn't working I decided that I'm going to get her the Prolab Tapeworm Tabs, I read a lot of reviews that they work great. Since I already know what the problem is, I thought I don't really need a visit to the vet since she seems to be otherwise healthy (playing and running around like a crazy kitty, and eating normally).

I also have another cat that is also having fleas and I'm giving him the same DE treatment as my other cat, but he doesn't seem to have worms as far as I can tell.

I just need some information on this situation and any extra tips that I can do or shouldn't do?

Thanks!

It sounds as if your cat has developed a very heavy load of tapeworms. What you are likely seeing is tapeworm segments. These look like grains of rice or, to me, a lot like orzo pasta. The whole worm can actually be several inches to well over a foot long. Seeing moving segments in poop means the worm(s) inside are still alive.

What type of medication did your vet give you?

Droncit (praziquantel) is what I always use and it is very affective. We typically do 2 doses, 3(?) weeks apart to make sure we eradicate the problem.

As for treatment of the fleas, Frontline doesn't appear to be working well in a lot of areas around the US. I have had good luck with Advantage II, Revolution and Comfortis.

***Consult with your vet before using Revolution with any deworming meds***

This is from the Droncit insert and explains why I think your cat has a heavy load of worms. You wouldn't be seeing moving segments otherwise.

"Droncit[emoji]174[/emoji] (praziquantel) is absorbed, metabolized in the liver and excreted in the bile. Upon entering the digestive tract from the bile, cestocidal activity is exhibited.1 Following exposure to praziquantel, the tapeworm loses its ability to resist digestion by the mammalian host. Because of this, whole tapeworms, including the scolex, are very rarely passed after administration of praziquantel. In many instances only disintegrated and partially digested pieces of tapeworms will be seen in the stool. The majority of tapeworms killed are digested and are not found in the feces."

Thanks for the tips!

I honestly can't remember the deworming medication my vet gave her, but whatever it was, was ineffective. I live in Malaysia, which doesn't really have a wide variety of medication and treatments, so I'm not sure if I would be able to find Droncit pills unless I order it online. So I will look into that. I've also read that Prolab Tabs is a generic form of Droncit, do you think that it would work? In the case that I was unable to find Droncit medication

As for the flea treatments, I'm gonna try and find Advantage II but like I said, treatments for cats are very limited here. Do you know any natural remedies for killing fleas?

Would it be safe to give my cat Revolution medication and Drontal tablet at the same time? I'm uncertain about that and worried about the doses or chemicals