Another question - please help! :o

[Kirsten]

I'm sorry when I'm bugging you with questions at the moment when on the other hand I don't have the time to join the conversation here. I'm so busy with catmom.de these days.

Anyway, I'm a bit confused about deworming since I'm reading a lot of different information on the net.

How often are you supposed to deworm your cat? Are there differences between indoor and outdoor cats?

So far, I was thinking that indoor cats just needed to be dewormed once or twice a year, and outdoor cats 4 times a year. Now I read somewhere that once a month is recommended.

How do you handle these things?

Thanks in advance,
Kirsten

[sirrahbed]

Kirsten - my kittens were dewormed as kittens. They had a fecal done several months later which still showed worms so they were rewormed and several weeks later they were clear. Now, they only require a fecal exam once a year to check for the presence of eggs. (there have been no more) If any are seen they will need treatment of course but the fecal would have to show worms first. I have never heard of routine worming of indoor kitties!! It is a pretty nasty drug so why would it be done unless worms were present?? Checking is very easy to do so why deworm unnecessarily??
Outdoor kitties - I have no idea...

[Kirsten]

I never heard about these tests being done instead of deworming, at least not here in Germany.... Could be that the American vets are more progressive here, I don't know...

Kirsten

[carla and mike]

I too have never heard of routine cat deworming.
You check their stools,and if they have them,deworm them.
Then check the stools a couple months later.And if clean
bring stool samples along with your yearly vet visit.

[sirrahbed]

More progressive ? maybe - but bringing in a stool sample in a baggie is just very easy - we always do it at routine exams. The test itself takes only about a minute and I think the cost is $9 - one sample represents all the cats. If clear - no worming is necessary. None of my cats have EVER required another worming after their initial kitten troubles!

[DJFyrewolf36]

I've never heard of rutine deworming either. I'm with Debbie on this, just take in a sample with the exam and only put the kitty through the trauma if neccicary. I didn't think deworming was all too comfy for the cat but luckily I haven't had this probem!

[Craftlady]

Only the first time visits (when you dont know history) was a dewormer ever given to our gang. Skinny was given it at his fist appt. Eleanor had it done through PetSmart adoption. Pretty sure Thumper did to since we got her through PetSmart Adoption. It's pretty much routine with shelter that processes them to go to PetSmart.

Unless there has been a history of worms, I have not known it to be done all the time.

[Kirsten]

Well, I agree these tests are making a lot of sense, it's just that here in Germany, you're getting deworming schedules for your cat. Strange...

Kirsten

[DJFyrewolf36]

Do they have a really bad worm problem there? If the worms were really bad, Id understand why they would want to do rutine deworming.

[Kirsten]

I don't know if it's worse than in other parts of the world, but we're always told about the importance of routinely deworming. I did a lot of research this afternoon and learnt that when symptoms occur, the cat is already badly infected with worms.

Kirsten

[sirrahbed]

Dumb question - how would an indoor kitty GET worms?

[Craftlady]

worm prevention


Pretty hard to get worms when your "indoor only" and haven't had exposure to animal who has been outside.

[NoahsMommy]

At wrok, we recommend a fecal exam when kittens are young. If worms are present, they get dewormed with an injection or oral medication.

From then on, a fecal exam is recommended every year. Deworming only done if parasites are present.

This is changed, of course, if one finds worms in the litterbox or on kitty.

[Kirsten]

Thanks everyone and thanks for the link, Craftlady. It really looks like these things are handled totally differently in my country. I will bring this to my vet's attention the next time I see her. I suppose the reason why we give worm treatments here is that they are cheaper than doing the test.

Debbie, from what I've read, indoor cat get infected from eggs that you've carried with you on your shoes (they can survive in soil for a long time) and from feeding raw meat.

Kirsten

[jenluckenbach]

Kitties with access to the outside would need routine de-worming or at least fecal tests more often than once a year and the time interval would depend on the medicine of choice.