Many questions about de-worming and parasites

Hello! So my 9-10 month old cat is an indoor and outdoor cat. She has her rabies shot and she is spayed. I was worried about her picking up worms/parasites and passing them to us. Is that possible? How can I tell if she has worms/parasites and what do I do to prevent/treat? She has no obvious signs of any health problems (clear eyes, skin, fur, behaving normally). What does the vet do when they de-worm cats? Sorry for all of the questions    

craftymip said:

 
Hello! So my 9-10 month old cat is an indoor and outdoor cat. She has her rabies shot and she is spayed. I was worried about her picking up worms/parasites and passing them to us. Is that possible? How can I tell if she has worms/parasites and what do I do to prevent/treat? She has no obvious signs of any health problems (clear eyes, skin, fur, behaving normally). What does the vet do when they de-worm cats? Sorry for all of the questions 

  

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You aren't going to get worms from her, but your vet will want stool samples from time to time.  Deworming a cat usually involves a liquid given in the mouth several times over a few weeks and isn't a big deal.  Your cat can also get parasites that would cause diarrhea and that's treated differently.

Yes, your cat can pass along hookworms and roundworms to people.  Humans can also get tapeworms, but not from pets.

Most vets will prescribe a broad-spectrum wormer covering all types of worms.  Over the counter wormers usually only treat one type of worm.  I think Panacur it a little broader over the counter wormer.

Your vet may be willing to let you pick up a wormer tablet without taking the cat for an office appointment.

Your cat can also get infected with heartworm from mosquitos, and that is a separate medicine from other wormers.

While cats can and do sometimes pass on parasites it's more likely that you'll pick up ringworm from one of your kids then a parasite from them. The parasites that they can pass to us are easily treatable and don't live well in our gastrointestinal system.

A few things you can do to keep your cat healthy, happy, and a productive member of your family. Have her get the full round of vaccines every year, including her FVRCP vaccine and a feline leukemia vaccine since she goes outside. Give her something like revolution once a month for heartworm, fleas, ticks, and a few parasites. And then do a fecal float and a broad spectrum dewormer like panacur twice a year.