How to Kill Tape Worms in Cats
Tapeworms are very common intestinal parasites that regularly infect dogs and cats. Tapeworms are often acquired by cats that either live outside full time or venture outside during the day. They may also infect house cats that do not ever go outside, as tapeworm eggs may be brought inside the house by fleas or other animals. It is important for cat owners to recognize what to look for in case a tapeworm infestation strikes your cat. It's also important to know how to prevent an infestation from occurring again in the future.
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Things You'll Need
- Stool sample
- Praziquantel (in the form of Droncit, Drontal or Profender)
- Flea medication (such as Frontline)
- Vacuum cleaner
Instructions
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Determine if your cat has tapeworms. This can be as easy as observing the small, white rice-like tapeworms segments that signify an infection. Tapeworm segments can be seen in your cat's stool; they can also be found clinging to the fur around its anus. If you are still unsure, take your cat or a sample of its stool to the veterinarian, and they will try and determine if tapeworms are present.
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Administer medication that contains Praziquantel. Praziquantel is the main drug used to treat tapeworms in cats. The drug works by forcing the tapeworm to lose its grip on the cat's intestinal wall, allowing it to be passed out of the body in the feces. Praziquantel is available in pill form as Droncit, or Drontal. It can also be applied in a liquid form, such as the product Profender, which is applied to the back of the cat between the shoulder blades. One dose is normally enough to kill all of the tapeworms present.
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Treat your cat for fleas. Fleas are one of the main culprits for spreading tapeworms to cats and dogs. Fleas infected with tapeworms are often ingested by cats as they groom themselves, thus infecting the cats. Applying a flea product, such as Frontline, to your cat each month and ridding it of fleas will help ensure that tapeworm infestations do not happen.
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Vacuum your house. This seems obvious, but it will prevent the cat from ingesting any tapeworm segments. It also helps prevents any fleas present in the house from finding any the tapeworm segments or eggs to ingest, which prevents further infestation.
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Wash your cat's rear end. You want to make sure there aren't any tapeworm segments left clinging to the rear of your cat. The cat will inevitably ingest the segments as it washes itself, starting the infection process again. A flea comb is also good to use, as it will filter out the segments from the cat's fur.
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- Photo Credit cat image by Darren Ager from Fotolia.com
