my 2 year old cat had a rice like string crawling on the outside of his rear looks like tape worms is there any store dewormer or is it only vet given!
2006-09-14 10:48:39 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
you can get tape tabs at pet smart for about 14 dollars for 3 pills they work very quickly
2006-09-14 11:07:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take your cat to the vet and have it dewormed and spayed or neutered if that hasn't already been done. Tapeworms can be FATAL if not gotten rid of promptly. I lost a cat to tapeworms learning the hard way!!! It's not pretty watching your cat get eaten from the inside out!!!!!
Cats get tapeworms and other parasites from eating wild birds, mice, etc and from the bites and injestion of fleas. It's best to keep your cat indoors to keep it from eating the wildlife. Not only will this keep your cat healthy and from becoming road pizza but it will help preserve the environment by keeping your cat from eating the wildlife that lives there. If you have fleas in your house you need to get rid of them, too.
Do NOT have it 'declawed'!!! How would you like to have the tips of your fingers cut OFF!!! This is what they do to declaw cats...they cut off the first knuckles of the paws! Simply place several different types of scratching posts around and spray them with cat nip spray. If the cat scratches somewhere else, of course, scold it and then take it and show it the posts. Then either use two sided tape or Woolite Pet Stain & Odor Remover where the cat is not supposed to scratch.
If you want to allow your cat outside then teach it to walk on a leash and take it for walks. I also had a cat that I harnessed and tied on a nylon rope when I was home and the weather was good. At first they fight the rope but then they get used to it. Just make sure the harness is tight enough to hold the cat but yet loose enough for the cat to be comfortable. Provide shelter, clean water and free choice feed dry cat food while the cat is out. Make sure there is nothing the rope can get tangled in.
Good Luck!!!
2006-09-14 18:22:25 · answer #2 · answered by x_southernbelle 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As far as I know, there is not a dewormer over the counter that you can buy for tapeworms (I may be wrong). Ideally, you should take a stool sample in to your vet and have him run a fecal test to make sure this is the only type of worm your cat has. That way, you can make sure you are treating for the right thing. Also, pets get tapeworms from ingesting a flea, so check your cat head to toe for fleas and use a product such as frontline or advantage to treat the fleas. DO NOT use over the counter flea products on your cat, I have seen so many fatalaties from products that you can buy from a store (such as hartz, biospot, control one, and zodiac). Good Luck.
2006-09-14 18:00:32 · answer #3 · answered by IndyVetTech 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no store dewormer that will work on tapes. There are a variety of different tapeworms, so take a fresh fecal sample to your vet. They will determine which tape it is and prescribe the correct wormer. If you have other cats, chances are they have tapes too!
Tapeworms come from fleas, it only takes the cat to ingest one flea to get tapeworms.
2006-09-14 19:41:15 · answer #4 · answered by trusport 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The vet has the safest and most effective way to get the tapeworm out of your cat's system. It is a one-time pill and if your cat is a "client" of the practice the vet will probably just sell you the pill without an examination when you describe what is going on.
Of course if you don't keep the fleas off your cat he can be reinfected.
2006-09-14 18:16:54 · answer #5 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is more than likely a tapeworm, so I would recommend going to your vet, or you can just wait it out. Tapeworms are caused by the ingestion of a flea, so they should go away. But if your cat starts having diarrhea or losing weight, you should definitely go to the vet and get medicine.
2006-09-14 17:55:33 · answer #6 · answered by Ashwinkle B 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The vet given ones work the best... take him in (or if he's been in recently they may just give you the pill) and get it. The treatment is just a little pill that you give once and it gets rid of tapes and depending on your vet they may give you one that gets rid of other parasites too (Drontal). They do sell over the counter stuff but i've never heard that it works well, and it's a multiple dose system.
2006-09-14 17:53:23 · answer #7 · answered by blue_angel_1400 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tape worms can only be treated with a certain medication, not sold over the counter. You will have to atleast call the vet. Also they are usually transmitted by fleas, also rodents if your cat is a "hunter"...so regularly de-worming him will be benificial, every 6 months. Please talk with your vet and make sure they are tape worms...allot of intestinal parasites can be transmitted to humans...
2006-09-14 17:58:00 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tapeworms are rarely serious. Praziquantel is the drug needed to kill tapeworms, and it is now over the counter. You can pick it up at some pet stores and most vets will sell it to anyone.
2006-09-14 20:58:31 · answer #9 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
REAL EASY!
1. Weigh cat
2. go to vets
3. ask for tape worm pill for a cat that weighs "X" pounds
4. Give pill to cat (you only need one pill one time)
5. Worms will die within cats stomach so there is no "mess" to clean up
6. Pill costs approximately $5.00
7. Good luck
2006-09-14 18:41:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋