Should indoor cat be dewormed every year?

I keep all my cats strictly indoor, they're clean and healthy.
just wondering should I deworm them every year?

thanx a lot

If you treat them with flea meds, no. If you don't treat them with flea meds then yes.

I asked my vet this not long ago and her answer was she doesnt treat unless they show signs of worms or are babies...

It may not be necessary, but it's inexpensive and certainly can't hurt. I'd do it.

I do it just in case...

Since deworming is basically poisioning, you shouldn't do it on a routine basis - only if its suspected or obvious. And then you take the cat to a vet to be sure.

I've never wormed my indoor cats - never had to - they were clean. If they got checked as kittens and never outside, or had fleas, then it is not necessary.

If your cats have or get fleas, they need to be checked for worms.
If not, unless you see worms in their poop, they are probably OK.
My kitties don't have fleas...thus no worms.

A short answer, no. If the cat doesn't show any signs of worm infection there's no need to deworm. It's like administrating antibiotics if the cat is healthy, completely unnecessary.

I take stool samples and have analyzed on a regular basis and never have they shown positive for worm and/or eggs.

Polly and Prego don't get wormed, but my vet does a stool check every year.

Again worming has to do with flea control. If your cat has fleas, they are going to have worms. Even if they are indoor cats they can still gets fleas, especially if you have a dog, but can still get them if you don't because you yourself go outside.

If you treat your cat with flea meds regularly, worms aren't a concern, but if you don't use flea control your cats probably have worms.

Originally Posted by Plebayo

If you treat your cat with flea meds regularly, worms aren't a concern, but if you don't use flea control your cats probably have worms.

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How's that? The cat needs to be infected in some way and indoor cats are at minimum risk for "catching" worms. If the cat is dewormed properly as a kitten (or regulary checked for worm by stool samples) and is kept as an indoor cat, how will it be infected with worms?

Originally Posted by Sol

How's that? The cat needs to be infected in some way and indoor cats are at minimum risk for "catching" worms. If the cat is dewormed properly as a kitten (or regulary checked for worm by stool samples) and is kept as an indoor cat, how will it be infected with worms?

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Worms are usually a two in one package deal with fleas, if your cats have fleas then they most probably have worms too. Even if they are indoors cats. Fleas can get, they can be carried in by dogs or other animals or by you.

How's that? The cat needs to be infected in some way and indoor cats are at minimum risk for "catching" worms. If the cat is dewormed properly as a kitten (or regulary checked for worm by stool samples) and is kept as an indoor cat, how will it be infected with worms?

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The cat gets a flea off of you, or someone coming to your house. The cat eats the flea, boom, they'll get tape worms.

Like Jen said, fleas can come in on you, your shoes, clothes, or a dog.

The worms that attack cats the most are roundworms (passed on from mom if she has them) or tapeworms (from fleas). There has been cases of heartworms too (from mosquitos) but cats seem to be able to fight them off better then dogs.

BTW we have a dog and she has NEVER had fleas - she gets BioSpot and she is a yellow lab so if she had fleas we'd see them on her (especially when brushing or combing).