Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We have several barn cats who are friendly, but I noticed recently that they had worms coming out of their back side. Our dogs are up to date with shots and flea stuff. Can those worms affect humans/dogs? The cats are just barn cats that have shown up and decided we're suckers. We don't have that kinda money to treat them, too.
By Darcie from WI
Yes! Worm meds are fairly cheap; you just put it in their food.
They might be tapeworms. They need a different med than other types of worms (we went through this last year with a stray kitten we adopted). Other animals (including dogs and people) get tapeworms by ingesting a flea (could swallow it while grooming, or even breathe it in). We tried topical treatments for the tapeworms and fleas, but they didn't work well for us, so he got one dose of an oral med (plus getting rid of his fleas), and we haven't had a problem since.
I've read that food-grade diatomaceous earth can be taken internally for the worms, but I haven't tried it, and I don't know anything about how much/often.
Hello,
If they are tapeworms they need to be treated by a Veterinarian. There is NOT an over the counter medication to treat them. Please take a fecal sample to your Veterinarian and have them treat your fur baby...I have worked for a Vet for over 27 yrs.
Easy, inexpensive, dogs, cats, even us humans. Safe, natural, for all intestinal worms (won't work on heart worms) Food grade (garden grade had poisons that can kill) diatomaceous earth sprinkled on their food. 75% of humans have worms. Not any animals fault. I ordered by the gallon of powder. It was enough for years of everything I could get my hands on.
My cat goes outdoors daily, and usually returns with a crusty white thing attached to the fur in the thigh region. He is a bit thinner than any neutered cat I've seen before, thought maybe because he's so active. Today I pulled a live tapeworm off of him. It was moist and squirming, but again, not near the anus. He has no fleas or other visible parasites.
He eats mice and only God knows what else outside. Could he just have come into contact with a live parasite and would it just be a wasted vet trip? Or should he get checked out? I'm just at a loss because they aren't in his stool, nor are they around the anus, just caught in the fur on his backside.My cats that hunted mice would get tapeworms. I would find the segments anywhere on the backend, not necessarily near the anus. The do move around. And they are so creepy. When they dry up while they are attached to the cats fur they look like grains of white rice.
I should have mentioned, that if you are seeing tapeworm segments, your cat has a lot of tapeworms. The 1st time I took my cat in to be wormed, she had over a dozen 12 to 15 inch worms. I am glad I had the Vet do it. Not sure how I would have handled all that.
Yes, the worms are coming from your cat. They can move on their own. They are attempting to infect another host.
I need to give my cat a dewormer. It says in the directions to put the dewormer on moist cat food. The problem is my cat will not eat moist cat food, he will only eat Meow mix dry cat food. He also will not eat human food, no milk, cheese, meats, nothing. So I'm at my wits end. Someone please help me to get my weird cat worm free without another vet bill.
By tlqcb6548
Over the counter wormers dont work very well. And they can cause severe cramps. Save you and your cat some grief and see the Vet. Their wormers work and dont cause the cat any problems.
Try using "pill pockets". You will find them at the pet store or in the pet department of a grocery store. I don't know what they are made of, but cats seem to love them.
Not all cats will eat the pill pockets or they will fall for it once or twice. One way that was effective for me, was to disolve the pill in a small amount of water and syringe. Easiest way is to break the pill up, put in the syringe and a add little bit of water. (The more water you add the more you have to get kitty to taste/drink. And it doesn't taste good.) Insert to the side of the cats mouth. Slowly. Some cats start foaming to spit it back up since it doesn't taste good. Other way of course is to toss down kitties throat and hold mouth closed.
I would like information on how to treat worms in 1 month old kitten?
By maggie from Hamilton, NJ
We have a 6 week old kitten we rescued at 2 weeks of age. We took him to our vet @ 4 weeks. He gave us wormer for him...cost about $5.00. The vet said he is too young to do anything else and didn't charge us for the visit. If you have a vet you are on good terms with, maybe the same would work for you. Good Luck!
I use a product called nemex 2 it is one of the safest things I have found Debbie
It was a roundworm, or a chunk of roundworm, still wriggling. I know they are or can be contagious, but is there any way we can treat at home? There's just no chance in heck we could afford treatment for all 6 through a vet. Just a standard check up with 2 shots cost us 150$ for one cat.
We adopted a stray and took her in. She surprised us with 5 kittens almost exactly 2 months after we brought her in. Would food grade diatomaceous earth and cider vinegar help this?
Unfortunately, if one of the kitties has some type of worms, the others have or will have the same problem. Please take your kitties to your vet now for help deworming. Perhaps all the kitties can be treated for a lower fee? Waiting will only make the problem worse and your kitties sicker. Diatomaceous earth and cider vinegar are not effective against any type of worms.
Why is DE food grade not effective for worms? There are many sites indicating that it is a natural effect way to treat worms. Also fleas. It's not fast acting but it works. Seems the only recommendation offered on this site is to take the pet to the vet. Not very helpful at all. I've taken my pets to the vet. Paid the outrageous bill in good faith that I was doing the right thing. However it's not the intentions of all vets to provide good service. It's about making money. And there are worm tabs available online with Amazon that will treat more than one worm. Which is the same as if going to the vet and considerably cheaper. And if one takes their pet to the vet for treatment of worms, consider that you will need a follow up visit. It takes more than one dose to complete the cycle. More money and more giving the pet chemicals. DE food grade is effective. You must be diligent and give to pet for every day. There are many informative sites that can explain proper use, dosage and length of time.
What is truly the best effective treatment for cats with little mealy worms that is not too expensive and works really fast? I am unable to afford vet at this time and am on a set income. Thank you.
If you do not know exactly what type of worm your cat has, no one can suggest a reliable treatment. Please take your cat to your vet immediately for a diagnosis and treatment that will cure the problem and help your cat feel much better. You have chosen to provide responsible care for your cat and that includes any medical problems that occur. Please help your cat.
I have the same problem and it seems everyone of these comments say "Take to the vet" I want a cheap remedy not take to the vet in every answer. I will try the apple vinegar in the water and food.. I find some answers here useful the other not so much do to vets are expensive and i prefer home remedies like mom did when we were sick. smh
How do I keep cats free of worms?
By Joan
You can't prevent them.
Everytime they get a flea or eat a bird or mouse, they can get them. All you can do is to try and keep them flea free, and worm them on a regular basis.
You must give them a de-worming pill every few months.
I need to know about tapeworms in cats. How do I treat them?
Tape worms are not something to mess around with so please ask your veterinarian for a prescription to get rid of the worms and also what you need to do to keep them from coming back!
Hello,
Tapeworms are caused by fleas. Please take your fur baby to the vet and bring a fecal sample with you so he/she can identify the specific parasite. Your Vet will give you medication for this, there is not a home remedy. I have worked for a Veterinarian for over 27 years. Good luck.
I have rescued a stray cat that is very lovable. The only problem is that the cat has tapeworms. I think this, only because I have seen them and they look like tapeworms. I do have a vet appointment set up, but it's for next week.
The cat is outdoors, but will come in. What should I do with the cat until the appointment? Do I bring it in until then?I would keep the cat outside. Take the cat to the vet as soon as possible, since humans can catch it.
My husband and I just bought some diatomaceous earth (food grade). We have multiple cats that eat from the same dish. We are kind of iffy about how much to put in their food since they all eat from the same dish to make sure they all get the amount they need. The main reason we bought this was to handle a flea issue we are having. We don't want to over dose them. How much should we put in their food?
By A. Callins
I have used Diatomaceous Earth for many years with no ill effects on any of my animals (cats or dogs).
I do not believe you "overdose" an animal on Diatomaceous Earth but it only takes a small amount if you give it on a regular basis.
I usually just mix it with their dry food and have had no problems with them even noticing the difference as this has no taste and it will only leave a slight "powder" look on the food. Larger dogs will require more than cats and small dogs.
Why not look on Google and read up on this product just to put your mind at ease?
My family also takes some of this several times a week (in milk or?) and some have reported less "stomach" problems than before but I cannot attest to this.
I do know that many medications have this in their base (from my pharmacist).
My son sprinkles it on his dog's bed to help control fleas that seem to appear from "nowhere".
I consider it a good, safe product due to many years of use.
Recently I had two kittens adopt me. They were only 6 weeks at the time we started to feed the two of them. One of them has become very friendly with me and lets me pet him and comes when you call his name, but the other one still won't let me near it.
I noticed the one that won't let us touch it started to get fatter and fatter so we thought she was pregnant. Everyone started to put in their names for kittens. But weeks turned to months and months turned to more months and no kittens. I recently caught her dragging her butt across the carpet at the front door. I have also seen the area around her butt has at times been really really red. And still she continues to get bigger and bigger.
Someone suggested she may have worms. But she is an outdoor cat that I can't get close to so I can't check her poops either. Should I get a deworming thing from the pet store and give it a try. Cause I'd really hate for her to get sick. The other one would be so heart broken. But if she is sick I may have to trap her somehow and find the money to take her to the vet's. Please help, I'm beginning to worry.
By Lisa F.
My experience with over the counter wormers is that they dont work and can give an animal terrible cramps. Could you ask your Vet for some wormer you can use at home? They are usually pretty helpful with feral kitties. Or the Vet or the humane society would loan you a safe trap to catch her. Best of all you need to get her to the Vet because you cant be sure what you have is worms, and you may miss something. Good luck.
Will roundworm liquid dewormer treat tapeworm in cats?
By Jennifer T.
No. Check Doctor Foster and Smith website for wormers.
I just got a new kitten. We saved it from outside a couple days ago and I found out it has worms and right now we can't afford to take it to the vet or buy anything. So does anyone know any home remedies? The kitten is 10 weeks old at least. I could really use some help.
By Sarah G.
You can buy deworming medications from pet stores. You need to weight the kitten to know how much to use. An overdose will make the kitten really ill and may kill it. If possible, go to a pet store that allows you to take the kitten with you and have them weight it...phone a few in your area. We have several here that encourage taking your pet with you.
How do you get your cat to eat the food with the turnip in it? I tried and he just turns his nose up at me.
By Jennifer
I don't know about turnip, but we do give our cat pumpkin (canned) with her food every day. She eats mostly dry food, but once a day she gets about a tablespoon of canned cat food mixed with the same amount of pumpkin and a little canned tuna. It's supposed to be good for their digestion. I think the secret is to start with a very small amount of turnip and gradually increase it. Also, mix it in really well with her other food. She knows what time of day she gets her "treat" and gets very vocal if we are a few minutes late. Hope this helps.
