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How often should you deworm your cats? Deworming your cat or kitten regularly can help protect them from serious illnesses caused by intestinal worms.
Cats are extremely prone to intestinal worms, and almost 25 percent of cats are found to have worms at one time or another. So the chances that your feline friend will wind up with worms at some point in their lives are pretty good.
Worming is the process of taking parasites out of your cat’s body. There are different kinds of worms that cats may have. These can cause infection in your cat’s body and can cause issues with your cats.
How Often to Deworm Cats?
Many people choose to give their cat a monthly deworming pill. The bigger debate is around how often you should worm (the act of deworming) your cat. In general, deworming your cat every other four months is best for most cats. Worming your cat is a simple and easy task but before you start, make sure you have the right info regarding how often you should deworm your feline friend.
Get an understanding from your local vet on the right deworming medication that would work best for your cat. You also need to understand the exact intestinal worms you’ll be treating. This could range from tapeworm to roundworm.
If you’re already a cat or kitten parent, then you’ll know how much these little furballs love to play and sleep. And while cats are resilient when it comes to taking care of themselves, we still need to do our part to look after them every now and then. The best way to avoid any intestinal worms is by giving your cat or kitten regular deworming treatments.
The Importance of Deworming Your Cat
Deworming your cat is one of the most important things you can do to keep her healthy. Here’s what you need to know.
Deworming is the process of removing parasitic worms from your cat’s body. This is not the same as worm medicine that prevents outbreaks. Deworming for cats can be done with either oral drops or a dewormer tablet. In most cases, tapeworm tablets are not available for cats alone.
There are several important reasons why you should be deworming your cat regularly.
Let’s get to it.
Protection for Yourself
Unfortunately, worms, especially roundworms, can pass on to you and your family. The larvae of the worms weasel their way through the body. If untreated, they can cause damage to your eyes as well as other organs.
Children especially need to be careful because having worms can lead to severe eye damage, although it’s not common.
It’s therefore, important to deworm your cat regularly to prevent these intestinal worm from being transmitted to your kids or to you; preventing any organ damage from the worms.
Protect Your Cat
While worms can wreak havoc on the inside, they don’t necessarily affect the outside. Your cat may seem happy and healthy to you and still have worms.
They live in the intestines and drain your cat of their nutrients, which can lead to weight loss, increased appetite, and weakness.
Deworm your cat regularly to prevent them from the effects associated with worms. Show them the love that they deserve. Protect your cat from intestinal worms.
Be Proactive
Worming medicine works by destroying the worms that are in your cat. Continous treatment is crucial to removing any worms that get picked up in the future.
You are, therefore, urged to be proactive when it comes to worms. Deworm them to protect yourself and the ones you love as well as your feline friend.
How Often to Deworm Cats
How often you deworm your cat depends on several factors. This could be based on a few behavioral factors.
The action to take and the frequency of deworming of your cat also require a keen eye from you. As we’ve seen above, if no actions are taken in good time; intestinal worms could pose a huge threat not only to your feline friend but to your close family members – especially your offspring (kids).
You have a Hunter
Cats that are prolific hunters and are at a much higher risk of catching worms. Hunters tend to eat their kill, and many rodents carry worms. If you have a cat that is a hunter, it’s recommended that you worm them on a monthly basis.
The hunter cat could end up ingesting fleas from their kill that could lead to worm infestation. You therefore need to deworm your hunter cat more often. You also need to find the right diet that would help with preventing your furry friend from hunting rodents each and every time. You could also look at ways of kicking out rodents from your homestead.
Your Cat is a New Mom
If your cat is a new mom, she must be wormed at the end of pregnancy and once she begins nursing. It’s a good idea to confirm with your veterinarian what dewormers are best for a pregnant cat.
Worming your pregnant cat with the right medication would help prevent mother-to-kitten transmission of worms during breastfeeding.
You also need to worm your kittens during lactation to prevent this. This leads us to the next reason on how often to deworm your feline friend.
You Have a Kitten
If you have a new kitten that has finished nursing, you should treat them right away. You may not know if they have ever been wormed.
After this, you should deworm every two weeks until they are about eight weeks old. At this point, it is safe to worm monthly until they are six months old. You can then decrease the worming to once every three months.
It’s important that you deworm your kitten immediately. This will prevent any future issues that could arise from worms. Always consult with your vet to ensure you are giving your kittens the right medication.
What Worms Do I Need to Worry About
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are long and flat and transmitted to cats through infected rodents or fleas. Because these worms live in the small intestine, they absorb the important nutrients your cat needs. Often you may see eggs that are passed in your cat’s stool.
Roundworms
Roundworms are extremely common and occur in cats of all ages. Cats can get roundworms after eating the eggs from an environment that is contaminated. They can also become infected by eating diseased worms. Mature roundworms can grow to four inches long, and they live in the intestine’s feeding on the food your cat eats.
How Cats Get Worms?
Cats can get infected with worms in a number of ways. This could be based on your cat’s behavior. If you have a hunter cat, your feline friend will definitely get worms from eating rodents. Many rodents carry worms and this could therefore be directly transmitted to your cat.
Worms can also penetrate through the cat’s skin and get to it’s intestines.
Cats can also get worms from mother to kitten during breastfeeding. This is passed from the mother to the kitten through the ingested milk.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how often to deworm your cat will not only save their lives but also protect you and your loved ones from being exposed.
Regularly worming them will also help with keeping them healthy. The frequency of worming them will depend on a number of factors. A hunter cat might require more frequent worming than a nursing cat.
Always aim to deworm your cat every other four months. Always consult your vet on the right medication that won’t harm your feline friend in any negative way.