i adopted a cat from pets mart about three days ago. yesterday i read the paperwork about her health?

Question

and it said she had tapeworms. the lady that worked there failed to mention this to me when we bought the cat. i know that fleas are part of the tapeworm cycle so does she have fleas? is she going to infest my house with them?? she does scratch herself but i looked in her fur and close to her skin and she didnt have any of that flea poop stuff. i can hardly sleep i know that sounds lame but it just creeps me out. what do i do about it.

Answer 1

Fleas are just something you deal with when you have cats or dogs. It only takes one bite to transfer the tapeworm to the animal. So though your kitty might not have fleas now if she has a tapeworm she has been bitten in the past. In a shelter or rescue situation she was certainly exposed to them.

You should read her health paperwork carefully and ask a vet if you have any questions about what is written there. As the pet's owner you need to have the cat examined by a vet, treated for the tapeworm if necessary, and get some flea stuff like Frontline or Advantage to put on the cat. If the cat will be indoors exclusively she might never need more than one application and you definitely should do that. Fleas can take control of an environment in a heartbeat and you don't want to have to deal with them.

Answer 2

I am virtually certain that you were looking at the intake sheet -- they keep records of how the cat was when she first came in and they may also make records of what was done (like vaccinations, tests, etc.) although some time it isn't recorded on the intake sheet. I cannot imagine that she wasn't treated for the tapeworms. It's a simple pill and is quite effective. She was also treated for fleas -- I guarantee it -- probably about the moment she arrived at the rescue place (no-one wants fleas!)

If she has fleas, you would see them (they're easily visible to the eye), and you would also see flea dirt without difficulty (droppings -- brown specks in her fur). I hope you are keeping your cat inside, but if you allow her outside, you will need to keep flea preventive on her in the months when it's warm enough for fleas to live outside. You can get this from a vet -- Advantage is my favorite, and you rub it between the shoulder blades once a month.

Don't worry about the tapeworms, but you can always ask your vet to deworm the cat again if you have any doubts. The only sign of tapeworms you would see (if she has them still) are little things like grains of rice at her anus. And the only way you could get tapeworm from her would be in the extremely unlikely event that you swallowed a flea -- and even then, cat tapeworms usually don't infect humans.

Answer 3

If she has tapeworms, she needs medication for that. Did Petsmart give you any medication? Was she treated for tapeworms at all? Did she have them and she doesn't now?

You need to call them and ask them if she was ever treated for tapeworms, and if she was ever treated for fleas (with Frontline or a like product). She should definitely not have been sold if she had tapeworms. Although it's not likely adults would get tapeworms, young children certainly could ingest a flea and contract it.

The kitten will need to be on Droncit dewormer to get rid of the tapeworm if she is still infected. A stool speciman taken to the vet can be tested and they can dispense the medication.

The best place to check for fleas would be on the stomach area and the base of the tail, they can easily be seen in these two places.

Answer 4

Tapeworms are very easy to get rid of with the right medication from the vet. You do need to find out if she was already treated for the tapeworms. I would think that she has been because all of the animals from Pet Smart are from different shelters and they should have been checked and treated before they are adopted. However you need to follow through about the tapeworms(watch her stool ) they are usually visible, they appear as grains of rice. I'm sure that the flea situation has been taken care of also.You really are supposed to do a follow up with your vet, I think they usually require it. I'm sure she is fine. I adopted my last little female from Pet Smart and she is a sweetie . Good luck with your new baby.

Answer 5

It's always a good idea to take a newly adopted pet to your own vet for a checkup after you bring it home.

That would be the perfect time to address the issue of fleas with your vet. If you've checked the fur thoroughly for little pepper-like dots (dried blood) that indicate fleas and didn't find any, she probably doesn't have fleas right now. She may just be itchy from the bites she received earlier. Look in her records and see if they mention if she was treated for fleas - if not, call the shelter & ask, to avoid doubling up on her treatment if she was given any.

If you live in an area where fleas are common, you may want to treat her preventively - your vet can advise you about flea seasons in your area and tell you when and how often you'll need to treat your cat. You can get Advantage or other easy flea treatment from your vet to stop any fleas, and prevent flea problems from popping up. Only use flea treatments from your vet - the ones sold at grocery stores may be dangerous to your cat. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/fleas.htm
Usually treating the cat is all you need to do, unless fleas take hold in the house. In that case, you can get rid of the fleas faster by vacuuming thoroughly, wrapping the bag in a plastic bag, and throwing it away outside.

A cat gets tapeworms from swallowing fleas during the grooming process. If a cat has tapeworms, you will find little egg segments in areas where the cat sleeps and spends time, and you may find them on her fur near her anus. They'll look like little bits of rice. If you see these, notify your vet and he or she can give you medication for her to get rid of the tapeworms. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/parasite.html

Answer 6

She most likely was already treated for fleas and worms. Otherwise the woman that worked there would have mentioned something about treatment to you. If you are still worried you may want to take the cat to a vet for a check up.

Answer 7

Just a note; Petsmart does not sell cats and dogs, they only allow animals to be adopted through them. The fees that you paid were for medicines and adoption fees. The tapeworms shouldn't be a problem, and they are probably already gone; but take her to the vet just to be on the safe side.

Answer 8

Take the cat to the vet for a checkup -she'll need booster shots anyway. Petsmart would have treated her for the tapeworms- she probably doesn't have them anymore. If you're unsure, call the store. They keep records for things like that.

Answer 9

well their is a flea control that is called revolution you can take the cat to the vet or get it over the inter net it takes care of all the problems it gets red of fleas and tape worm its not expensive and it really works i have three cats and i put it on them and my house stays flea and bug free for months

Answer 10

cats get tapeworms from fleas so yes your cat either has or has had fleas. You need to get your cat on a flea preventative and then find out when your cat was dewormed and when it needs to be dewormed again.