Dewormer without vet visit or prescription?

[tandl]

We have a litter of kittens w/their mama that have been visiting our deck and staying for several days at a time each week. Then they'll move on to some other place -- we don't know where else they go, but within several days they are usually back. Sometimes mama leaves 2 of her 4 kittens here and we don't see her or the other 2 for a day or two. We do feed them and they have insulated/heated cat shelters here that they can use. We do plan, at the very least, on TNR -- but this will be our first time doing this so we are trying to figure it out. Previously we've fostered a litter that someone else trapped in this neighborhood, and we adopted another litter that was found on the side of the road at 2 wks old and then were in the shelter -- this area is full of community cats, unfortunately, and the shelters are jam packed. We watch these happy babies play and hunt and live their lives and on one hand we are torn because we 'know' that their life will be shorter and much more dangerous outside...but we also know that taking them to a shelter could mean months and months if not years in a shelter cage.

While I'm terrible at guessing age, just by when we first saw the kittens, they have got to be at least 12 weeks old by now. I'm sure all have worms and in fact seem to have pretty plump bellies. While we are figuring out the logistics of how to trap (and when to trap...I'm terrified that we will catch some but not all of the litter and then we will have added even more trauma to this bonded group by separating them?) I'd love to be able to give some dewormer to them. They certainly aren't going to allow me to pick them up and pop a pill in their mouth, however.

I know there are OTC dewormers at PetSmart etc., but I'm wary. is there a liquid dewormer that I could put into the food that would be safe even though they'd likely not be getting the exact proper dose? I see the very very expensive pills online and know that isn't a route that would be logical to take; again, because these guys let us get only as close as needed to put out some treats and food bowls...or to take a toy or two to play with.

The kittens are all roughly a similar weight from sight at least.

 

[jen]

So if you want to deworm at home with an OTC dewormer, you need to look for a "broad spectrum" dewormer that will do roundworms and hookworms at least. Most kittens are born with something and this should cover it. There should also be a proper dosage per weight on the bottle or package. Ideally a fecal test should be run by the vet and you can deworm according to what is actually present in the stool. But that isn't always possible/affordable/etc.

If they have fleas they may have tapeworms which you need Praziquantel to treat. This can also be found at the pet stores or online. It is often a little more expensive and sold as "tapeworm tabs" or something similar. But Praziquantel is the active ingredient you need.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You might want to check out this article about the various types of wormers there are (tablets, topicals, liquid) and see what might work best for your situation.

An Overview of Cat Wormer Types

 

[moxiewild]

Do you know where you will be taking them to be neutered? A lot of low cost spay/neuter clinics also offer flea and worm treatment.

If they don’t and you can afford Revolution, you can always bring it with you and ask them to dose them while under anesthesia after surgery. In addition to offering a months worth of protection from fleas, ticks, and heart worm, Revolution will also help treat any existing roundworms or hookworms (but you will still need something for tape).

You could also take them to a regular/low cost vet. Dewormers are generally pretty cheap. My regular (non-low cost) vet charges less than $10/cat. Most vets will prescribe for the whole litter if you bring just one in, and if you have a good relationship with your vet, they may prescribe without bringing any in.

Pills can be crushed and mixed in with food, but don’t tend to taste well - if I use a pill, I mix it with two packs of Fortiflora to help disguise the taste. Vets can prescribe a paste that cats don’t mind... I’ve been told it tastes like cake batter - apparently all the vets and techs at my clinic have tried it

But keep in mind that trapped cats do not always eat well during their confinement with you. Another reason that taking them to a vet might be wise. My vet only charges for one appointment if I bring the whole litter in at one time.

Don’t worry too much about the added trauma of separating them. It is far less traumatic once they are 12 weeks and older.

Just be sure to keep all eyes on the traps. Sometimes kittens go into traps together or follow each other and a spring loaded trap can seriously injure or even kill a kitten (Tru Catch traps being the exception here since they use a gravity based mechanism). I just had this issue and opted to manually trap them all to be safe.

 

[Willowy]

Get a bottle of generic pyrantel pamoate suspension, and look up the dosage online. It's usually sold for horses or to treat pinworms in children, so it probably won't be labeled for cats. That's the best stuff. Don't bother with the cheap piperazine stuff you can get in stores.