Our domestic cats can be infected with helminths, even if they do not walk on the street. Mostly parasites cause harm to kittens and young individuals. But the fact is that some parasitic diseases can be transmitted from cats to humans. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly carry out activities against helminthiases of carnivores. Worm pills for cats are only part of these activities.
What helminths do cats infect?
Round worms (nematodes). Roundworm. Cats are more common than other species. Kittens are often infected by them from their mother, and adult cats are carriers in 30-70% of cases. For adults, this type of parasite is harmless, but kittens can lead to death. Infants can be infected both during intrauterine development through the mother’s blood, and during feeding with milk. Worm eggs are transmitted mainly through soil contaminated with feces. Parasites can come out with feces or vomiting, have the appearance of thin white worms up to 10 cm long. Some types of roundworms can be transmitted from sick cats to people.
Hookworms. These are small filiform helminths 5-12 mm long. Infection occurs through contaminated soil or feces. Kittens become infected at a later age (1-2 months).
Tape worms (cestodes). On cats, several types of tape helminths parasitize, all have an intermediate host. Worm pills for cats will be ineffective if you do not break the chain of transmission of the pathogen. Dipylidiosis is transmitted through fleas and lice eaters. Animals become infected with diphyllobothriasis when they eat raw freshwater fish or their giblets. A person can become infected with tapeworms from a cat only if he accidentally swallows an invasive flea.
Flatworms (trematodes). This type of worm is rare in cats. The most dangerous opisthorchiasis. Carnivores become infected by feeding them raw river fish. Despite the fact that a person also has opisthorchiasis, he is not infected by a cat.
Rules for handling cats from worms
Even the most effective pills for worms will be powerless if you do not follow certain treatment rules. The best option is to study the feces of the animal on the eggs of worms with the determination of the type of helminth. If the cat walks on the street, it is advisable to conduct such studies twice a year. In addition, it is necessary to examine breeding animals a month before mating and kittens are two months old. In this case, there will be no need to injure the pet with deworming if the tests are negative. In case of detection of the pathogen, the veterinarian will prescribe a narrow-acting drug with minimal negative impact.
Well, if such a service is not available, then combined drugs are used. All cat breeders give their pets worm tablets. Reviews of the drugs confirm that there are no complications from the drug if all conditions of use are met. For preventive purposes, treatment is carried out once a quarter, two weeks before mating or before vaccination. A direct indication of the need for medication is the detection of helminths or their larvae in feces.
You can not give anthelmintics to newborn kittens up to 21 days, pregnant individuals up to the last third of the term, nursing mothers within 21 days after lambing. Do not prescribe them to adults weighing less than 500 grams, sick, depleted or weakened animals. You can not give funds against worms in violation of the liver and kidneys.
Most drugs come in the form of tablets for worms for cats. How to give them to a pet? Variant of physical strength: fix the cat with the help of an assistant or wrapping it in a towel. With the index and thumb of one hand, click on the corners of the mouth, opening the jaw. With your other finger, put the pill on the root of the tongue and close the cat's mouth. Lift your head slightly up and massage your throat, stimulating swallowing movements.
The second method with deception: wrap the tablet in a piece of minced meat or fish. If the tablet is large, crush it first. If it doesn’t work out, then make a suspension from the tablet in milk or water and fill the cat with the lip in the corner of his mouth, trying to get into the space between the teeth. Use a syringe without a needle or a teaspoon for this.
All drugs are given in the morning on an empty stomach. After taking the medicine, do not feed the cat for one hour.
Most anthelmintics are given once. If the degree of infection of the animal is high, then the drug is given fractionally, or the treatment is repeated after 10-14 days.
Preparations for kittens
Pills for worms for cats are very numerous, but in fact there are only six active anthelmintic substances. The drugs have different names, because they are produced by different companies and contain a different combination of active substances.
Kittens are mainly infected with roundworms (toxocaras). Apply drugs based on pyrantel or piperazine at the age of 21 days and repeat the treatment after 14-21 days.
Against cestodoses in cats, one drug is used - Praziquantel (Azinox, Dronzit). It has a detrimental effect on all stages of the reproduction of the parasite. To better remove worms from the intestines, the doctor may additionally prescribe a laxative.
Means "Fenbendazole" acts on adult forms of nematodes, their eggs and larvae. It works in the intestines and in the respiratory system. Destroys and tape tapeworms.
The drug "Pyrantel" destroys adult nematodes at all stages of their development.
Milbemycin acts on nematodes and their larvae, but not on eggs.
The drug "Albendazole" ("Nemozole") destroys adult forms of nematodes, as well as cestodes and their larvae.
Overview of Anthelmintics for Cats
Effective worm tablets may contain one or more active ingredients. Below is a list of the most common drugs by category.
Single substance tablets
Febtal tablets. The price is about 14 rubles. Give 1 time per day. The course of treatment is three days in a row. Dose - one tablet per three kg of weight. The tablet contains fenbendazole, acting on all stages of development of cestodes and nematodes. Production: "Agrovetzashchita", Russia.
Tablets "Asinoks". The price is about 15 rubles. Contains praziquantel - 50 mg. Assign one tablet per ten kg of live weight once. Production: "Agrovetzashchita", Russia.
Complex tablets from worms
1. Praziquantel + pyrantel.
The drug "Dirofen" - suspension, paste and tablets. Composition: 1 g of tablets contains fenbendazole in an amount of 250 mg and pyrantel pamoate in an amount of 75 mg. In addition, it has pumpkin seed oil, which also has antihelminthic properties. Dose: one ml of suspension per kg, one tablet per five kg of weight. Production: Russia, LLC NPF Api-San.
With a pronounced invasion, the drug is repeated after ten days.
The price of 1 tablet is about 88 rubles.
Drontal tablets. The price is about 73 rubles. Contains pyrantel embonate (230 mg) and praziquantel (20 mg). Dosage: one tablet per four kg once. Production: Bayer, Germany.
The drug "Prazitel" - suspension. The price is about 135 rubles (15 ml). 1 ml contains pyrantel pamoate (30 mg) and praziquantel (3 mg). Dose: one ml per kg of weight. Production: Russia, NPK SKiFF LLC.
2. Praziquantel + fenbendazole.
The drug "Kanikvantel plus" (Germany, "Maramed Pharma"). Worm pills for cats. The price is about 60 rubles. Composition: praziquantel (50 mg) and fenbendazole (500 mg). Applied with all types of helminthic invasions in cats. Dosage: one tablet per ten kg.
Other complex anthelmintics
Milbemax tablets . The composition of the drug for kittens: 10 mg praziquantel and 4 mg milbemycin oxime. Dose: for babies from six weeks of age - one tablet per two kg. The price is about 117 rubles.
Anti-worm tablets for adult cats contain 40 mg of praziquantel and 16 mg of milbemycin oxime. Dose: 1 pink tablet for 1-2 kg of weight, 1 red tablet for 4-8 kg. The price is about 228 rubles. Producer: "Novartis S.A.", France.
Tasteful meat, covered with a protective sheath. The owners' comments on the Milbemax product indicate that cats eat the medicine well.
Tablets "Alben C". The price is about 53 rubles. Composition: in a tablet of 0.6 g - azinox 25 mg and albendazole 250 mg. Kittens should not be given up to three months and pregnant cats. Dose: 1 tablet per 5 kg of weight. Production: "Agrovetzashchita", Russia.
The drug "Kaniverm" (AO "Bioveta", Czech Republic) - tablets against worms for cats. The price is about 31 rubles. Composition: 144 mg pyrantel emoate, 150 mg fenbendozole, 50 mg praziquantel. Dose: one tablet per ten kg.
The drug "Polyvercanum" ("Seva S.A.", France). Sugar cube, soluble in water. Composition: niclosamide (200 mg) and oxybendazole (40 mg). Dose: an animal weighing from one to five kg - half a cube. For therapeutic purposes, it is prescribed twice with an interval of ten days, for prevention - once every three months. Kittens up to 30 days of age are contraindicated. Niclozamide is active against cestodes, and oxybendazole is effective against all forms of nematodes and cestodes.
Prevention of helminthic infestations in cats
Correctly applying pills for worms for cats is only half the battle. It is important that your pet does not get infected again. To prevent helminthic infestations, regularly treat the cat's litter and habitat from fleas, maintain cleanliness, and do not leave street shoes within reach.
The cat litter box must be kept clean and dry, washed thoroughly and scalded with boiling water every three to four days.
If possible, conduct regular fecal helminth infections. Consult with your veterinarian about what measures specifically for your pet to take against worms. Pills do not replace preventive measures to prevent the disease. The specialist will be able to suggest what to pay closer attention to.
Cat Worm Pills: Cat Owner Reviews
Owners of cats share their opinions on medicines that are directed against helminths. Here is what they think:
- The drug "Alben C" is good to treat adult cats twice a year. Animals tolerate it well, no complications. And it costs a lot.
- Suspension "Dirofen" is easy to dose, its single use is enough. Complications are not observed even in advanced cases.
- In terms of dosage and tolerance, the best drug is Milbemax. The price, of course, is a bit high. If you need to save money, you can give Febtal tablets. They always give a good healing effect.