Tapeworms in Cats

[ClownCarOnFire]

Hi guys! long time no see again, sorry I haven't been terribly active here! Miss you guys though! <3

Any who, I've come looking for advice.

Last October I took in 2 male kittens to help a friend whose grandmother threw her two (unspayed) female cats outside and they both got pregnant at the same time. (Infuriating, right?) :emb:
They both ended up giving birth within about 48 hours of each other, and each had 4 surviving kittens.
So I took 2, another person took one, and she and her grandmother have the rest.

My guys are now about 8 months or so and doing pretty well, but I think they have tapeworm.
So I have been doing some research and I plan to take them to the vet, but I heard some horror stories about cats reacting badly and sometimes even dying to over-the-counter medication. Obviously, this terrifies me.
So I am just wondering, does anyone have any advice before I take them in? Or has anyone here ever dealt with this before? Know any home remedies worth trying? I heard Coconut milk/juice, but I'm a little skeptical. :?

I should probably get myself checked too... I'm ALWAYS hungry.. :lol:

 

[temblabamomo]

What symptoms are the kitties showing? Unless the worms have been there for a significant period of time, the only physical symptom you would see would be little whitish looking things around the cat's anus. In an advanced case you would probably notice weight loss. The only reason we've ever found out about a tapeworm problem was at a yearly physical when they took a fecal sample. We were somewhat surprised, because the cat hadn't been acting ill or losing weight or anything.

If they do have tapeworms, the vet can give you a round of de-worming meds, usually some sort of pills I think. We've never had any problems or serious side effects from de-wormers.

I remember out vet explaining that we can't catch tapeworms directly from our kitties, but if our kitties have fleas, it is possible to catch them from the fleas. If your little guys are on Revolution, or whatever your proferred feline flea treatment med is, then you probably don't need to worry about having picked up any worms from your boys.

oh, P.S. I'm always extremely wary of OTC meds for my cats. When in doubt, see the vet, and they can choose the meds they think most appropriate (after confirming your kitties do indeed have worms.)

 

[ClownCarOnFire]

Thanks for the reply!

Since I posted this, I made a call to a kitty rescue I found out about from PetSmart, she told me she had meds for getting rid of tapeworms and other meds for fleas/roundworms/mites all that gross stuff.
She also does discounted neuters, which is great. So in a week or so, I will be bringing the boys to be taken care of.

It's a relief, that's for sure!


Also yeah, I did see the segments from the tapeworms in poop and around their butts. Not to mention they're always acting like they're having their last meal.
Soon it'll be over, guys! Hang in there!

 

[temblabamomo]

Well that's good news, as long as the rescue is getting you legit stuff and you are dosing it correctly. The de-wormers our vet prescribes has varying dosages depending on a cat's weight; you would not want to overdose them on meds like that. One of the number one ways to prevent kitties from picking up little wormy friends is flea prevention, so if you can get them on a monthly regimen of Revolution or Frontline or something of that sort, that would be good.

 

[Kimber]

I don't believe that any flea medication covers tapeworm prevention in its arsenal.....just acarids, etc. So you would need a pill from the vet for tapeworm.

 

[crumbilina]

Fleas can carry tapeworms and can transmit them to cats, dogs or humans. So flea prevention would help prevent tapeworms.

ETA: If you want more info google Dipylidium caninum Its a pretty awesome worm >_<
*loves parasites*

 

[temblabamomo]

I don't believe that any flea medication covers tapeworm prevention in its arsenal.....just acarids, etc. So you would need a pill from the vet for tapeworm.

Sorry if I was unclear. Only a deworming med is going to get rid of the wormies, but I was trying to say that preventing fleas will keep the kitties from getting the worms in the first place, or at least lower their chances of getting worms significantly.

I don't use any sorts of OTC meds on the cats. I don't know if the rescue she plans to get the meds from will be able to provide effective dewormers.

 

[KTyne]

I'd definitely go to the vet, they know best. Especially if they can see what type of parasite they're dealing with instead of just guessing.
Our old cat (rip) when he was younger got worms a few times and I'd definitely recommend taking them to the vet. Once we knew about de-worming him and fleas and such he never got them again. :')

 

[Kayla]

I'm glad you're getting this taken care of properly. The flea stuff you can buy at walmart (hartz brand I think) has a history of killing or almost killing many cats, so I wouldn't buy any otc meds for my pets unless I was 100% sure it was safe. My friend had to rush her four cats into emergency, and they almost died. Search online about it and you can find many other people telling stories that weren't as lucky to have a huge emergency bill. Many cats died before they could get to emerg.

Tape worms are easy enough to treat, but as someone already mentioned, flea prevention is important as a preventative step. You also don't want your cats to be chewing on any random dead animals. (or anything else with fleas as they get tapeworm from ingesting fleas)

 

[chelshorsegirl]

You need to get something with the drug praziqunatel in it... it is the only drug that does a good job getting rid of tapeworms in all animals (horses, dogs, cats, etc)

The way an animal gets tapeworms is from ingesting a flea, and it only takes ONE.

If you have fleas around a person COULD get tapeworm, but it is extremely rare for adults to get tapeworms. Children occasionally get it, but that's because they try to eat everything.

The best thing I like for tapeworm is the drug Droncit.. you get it from the vet and it works great.

Also, you will see little grains of rice around the bum of your cat and possibly in there feces if they have a bad case.

Good Luck! Its nothing to panic about, I've treated lots of cats for it with no bad effects.

 

[ClownCarOnFire]

This rescue lady has been doing it a long, long time so I trust her, and they'll be getting an exam before the neuters anyway.

Also, I think I mistyped what they're getting.
They're getting a pill for their tapeworms, and a separate med for flea/roundworm/mite preventative as well.
But I do know for sure that they have tapeworms, as I've seen the segments.

Also I loathe Hartz brand stuff! It's terrible! Why it's still on the shelves is beyond me. >8\