CATBOX - sorry... but worms!

[SillySausage]

So we currently have an ex-feral cat. She turned up on the yard I was working at, but I broke my finger and had to leave at short notice. I fed her from the first day that she turned up, and the plan with the YO was always that I would go back and get her once I was settled at new address.

Fast forward and have had said kitten for about 9 weeks now (and she's lovely!). When I first got her home and she was speyed they advised that I had her wormed due to her having been feral / going outside (my first ever cat). I got the wormer and some flea stuff and took her home. Happened to mention it to the head girl I used to work with, who told me that another groom (new girl, arrived about 3 weeks before my accident) had wormed her already.

Fast forward to yesterday and I saw a flea on her (gah!), so went out to get her a flea collar. Text the head girl to ask the groom when she had wormed the kitten to be told that she'd be due now and that she'd used a combo thing you put on her neck. Now, I stand to be corrected, but I'm sure you can't get wormer any way other than orally. So it seems she had two flea treatments very close together and has never been wormed.

Only managed to get half of the wormer tablet in her and this morning there are worms in her poo

I will ring the vets tomorrow anyway, but do you think I should get her another wormer tablet? Or will the half tablet do the trick? OH's Mum has given us a special cat syringe thingy to get it in to her. Due to her bad start in life she's very small for her age (est 9 months old) and only weighs just about 2.5kg.

 

[Emz99]

You'll need to find out what she used on the back of her neck. Both Stronghold, Advantage and others are drop-ons which do varying worms (neither do Tapeworms) But they are prescription only from the vet. It's likely she got something from the supermarket which are not very effective and potentially dangerous if misused.

What pill have you got for her? How much does she weigh? how big are the tablets (mg)?

If she's full of worms you don't want to kill them all at once... similar with horses, as a belly full of dead worms can lead to impactions etc. It's almost better/safer to get rid of half... then 'blast' the rest out later on.

 

[karen_c]

There are spot-on wormer products now although they don't necessarily cover the same spectrum of beasties as the tablets.

Depending on what your worming tablet was half may be enough - what brand was it? It's probably worth worming her again in a few weeks if she's passed worms in her faeces today as there'll be more larvae which emerge later.

If you've seen fleas I'd personally suggest something other than flea collar as well as they're not always the best at getting rid - one of the spot ons, and something to treat the house as well if she lives indoors!

 

[SillySausage]

You'll need to find out what she used on the back of her neck. Both Stronghold, Advantage and others are drop-ons which do varying worms (neither do Tapeworms) But they are prescription only from the vet. It's likely she got something from the supermarket which are not very effective and potentially dangerous if misused.

What pill have you got for her? How much does she weigh? how big are the tablets (mg)?

If she's full of worms you don't want to kill them all at once... similar with horses, as a belly full of dead worms can lead to impactions etc. It's almost better/safer to get rid of half... then 'blast' the rest out later on.

Drontal tablet from the vets (I bought it before she told me she had already done it). As far as I'm aware she didn't take her to the vets so I guess it was a supermarket one. I'm not sure - I'm not particularly happy that she took it upon herself to do it tbh!!

She weighs between 2.5-3kg and it's a normal sized tablet.

 

[SillySausage]

There are spot-on wormer products now although they don't necessarily cover the same spectrum of beasties as the tablets.

Depending on what your worming tablet was half may be enough - what brand was it? It's probably worth worming her again in a few weeks if she's passed worms in her faeces today as there'll be more larvae which emerge later.

If you've seen fleas I'd personally suggest something other than flea collar as well as they're not always the best at getting rid - one of the spot ons, and something to treat the house as well if she lives indoors!

Interesting, I thought that wormers were oral only. I haven't seen the spot-on versions myself. She had Drontal, from the vet.

I did the spot on one about 3 weeks ago but obviously it hasn't really worked!!!

I think I'm going to ring the vets tomorrow and see what they say. Maybe it would be worth me taking her in next Saturday and asking them to worm and flea her as they may have more luck than me. I've never had a cat before so I'm learning as I go, and although the first half took her by suprise and went down she kept shooting the second one back out!! She's so small that she doesn't really eat things that i could wrap it in either, she tends to lick cheese/ham etc.

 

[Emz99]

I'd be inclined to leave it a couple of weeks then give her the other half. then resume normal worming in 3 months time when she'll be a bit bigger and will def need a full tablet.

 

[twiglet84]

Not sure if I read correctly but are u using a flea collar with a topical product? If so this is a big no no and could cause toxcity xx

 

[SillySausage]

Not sure if I read correctly but are u using a flea collar with a topical product? If so this is a big no no and could cause toxcity xx

No sorry didn't word it right.

Used the topical product about 3/4 weeks ago, put the collar on last night

 

[thewonderhorse]

Hi. Drontal tablets are the best wormers to use but I'd ask for some frontline spray for fleas- collars are generally rubbish and don't get rid of the fleas and flea eggs.

I normally worm 3 monthly and flea spray every 6 weeks or so

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i would get the vet to give you a milbemax worming tablet, and some flea treatment like front line. i would wait til the beg of march and start afresh with wormer and flea treatment and wokr from there.

 

[SusieT]

I'd ring your vets-they will know best