Deworming Your Cat
Indoor and outdoor cats must all be dewormed at some point in their lives. For the cat that spends all of its time in the house, the likelihood of a worm infestation in their digestive tract is very minimal, and often the signs are detectable right away. For instance, a cat that is heaving or showing signs of gagging often is quite likely trying to get rid of worms. Often a cat will actually succeed in vomiting the worms it contains (such as round worms or tape worms), but this is not always the case.
Regardless of where the cat lives, however, any changes in appetite, notable weight loss, bloating in the belly, diarrhea, and a change in the appearance of the coat are all indicators that worms of some sort are present.
To know exactly how to treat the worms will require a visit to the veterinarian’s office at which time a diagnosis is made. Often the treatment is a single-dose medication and for a few dollars the veterinarian or one of their assistants can tackle the job of giving the cat the paste or pill they need.
If the treatment involves more than one pill or dose of medicine, it is best to find out from the veterinarian’s office the most recommended approach. There are small devices that force a pill to the back of the cat’s throat and make it impossible for them to spit it out, and this is a good option for someone who has to give medication to a very difficult cat. Some medicines can also be disguised in a savory food treat, though a cat’s sense of smell can often foil such an attempt.
Since it is the owner who knows their cat best, it is realistically up to them to determine the way to get the necessary medication into the cat while also preventing any bodily harm to themselves. Because some deworming agents must be administered in stages it is necessary to have a protocol for delivering medication to the cat, and following the medicine’s directions accordingly.
If a cat lives both indoors and outdoors on a year-round basis the owner is going to have to understand that their cat is likely to have worms on a regular basis. This is unavoidable, and a quarterly testing of their feces at the veterinarian’s office is really one of the surest ways to keep them at optimal levels of health. It is equally important to understand that using a flea and heart worm treatment is just as important to the health of the cat too.
