Cats may be very fastidious creatures, but this doesn’t make them immune to intestinal parasitism or the presence of worms in the gut such as tapeworms, whipworms, hookworms, and roundworms as well as other types of intestinal worms. As a matter of fact, it can very well be one of the reasons why felines can get infected with these parasites. The good news is that you don’t have to worry that much since there are a number of excellent feline dewormers in the market today. In this article, we will be letting you in on the result of our research on 6 of the best dewormers for cats.
If your kitty has tapeworm infestations especially those that are brought about by D caninum and T taeniaeformis, you can trust on Bayer Animal Health’s exceptional feline anthelminthic preparation, the Tapeworm Dewormer, to solve your feline friend’s problems. Bayer’s formulation contains Praziquantel that effectively disrupts the tapeworm’s ability to protect itself from getting digested by the cat’s hyper-acidic gastric and intestinal fluids. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the Tapeworm Dewormer is that it is manufactured by one of the world’s leading experts in animal and veterinary health so you can only expect high quality, effective, and safe products from them.
Contains 23 mg of Praziquantel per tablet
Effective against T taeniaeformis and D caninum tapeworms
Crushable, easy-to-administer, and food-mixable tablet formulation
Available without prescription
Designed specifically to address the issue of roundworm infestations in cats especially from T leonina and T canis species, the ProSense Dewormer Solutions for Cats is always a great choice. It contains the active ingredient Piperazine which effectively paralyzes the roundworms so they lose their attachment in the cat’s gut, facilitating their expulsion in the cat’s feces. Available in liquid drops formulation, ProSense can be easily mixed with your pet’s food, although you can also administer it directly into your cat’s mouth.
Contains 250 mg of Piperazine per teaspoon
Effective against T canis and T leonina roundworms
Safe to administer to kittens at least 6 weeks old
Easy-to-administer formulation
Excel’s Roundworm De-Wormer for Cats has a lot of things in common with the Dewormer Solutions from ProSense. It is especially formulated to get rid of your cat’s large intestinal roundworms by paralyzing them, letting them be passed and eliminated through your feline friend’s stools. Excel also comes in a safe and easy to administer formulation that contains the same active ingredient as ProSense, Piperazine. Interestingly, Excel is slightly more expensive by several cents so it would be safe to assume that you can actually trust either products to deliver your feline friend from the clutches of T leonina or T canis.
Contains 250 mg of Piperazine per teaspoon
Effectively kills large T leonina and T canins roundworms
Can be given to kittens at least 6 weeks old
Easy-to-administer formulation
For people who find the thought of killing off the worms barbaric, this 100% natural homeopathic formula is the way out. The HomeoPet WRM Clear simply creates a hostile environment in your cat’s system. Once the worms can no longer thrive, they find their way out of your pet’s system willingly. In about 2 weeks the results will be quite vivid as you will see the actual worms in your pet’s stool. Also, its general effect lasts for up to 2 months, so your cat can enjoy a worm-free existence for some time.
It is a liquid homeopathic formula
Safe for use by pregnant and lactating cats
Up to 90 doses present in the bottle
It is a non-sedative
Easy to administer
NaturPet’s D Wormer has a few advantages over the other products in this list. First, it is not a single-parasite formulation that only targets a specific type of intestinal parasite. Instead, it targets 4 different kinds of worms including whipworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms, giving you the versatility you may need in treating a variety of intestinal parasitic infections in your kitty.
Additionally, D Wormer is effective against Giardia lamblia, a flagellated parasitic organism that also invades the cat’s intestines. D Wormer also comes with all-natural ingredients that not only help remove these intestinal parasites, but also facilitate the healing of your pet’s digestive tract. It is manufactured in Canada in a GMP-certified facility so you can put to rest any worries that the product may be Chinese-made. Unfortunately, when it comes to its effectiveness, the sentiments of pet parents are mixed.
Formulated to remove hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, whipworms, and Giardia lamblia
Easy-to-administer, liquid drops formulation
Contains wormwood, black walnut, black seed, sage leaf, fennel seed, and papaya leaf
Manufactured from a c-GMP facility in Canada
Drawing its inspiration from homeopathic medicine, HomeoPet’s Feline Wrm Clear offers an entirely different way to get rid of tapeworms, whipworms, roundworms, and hookworms in your feline friends. The idea is to make the digestive tract of your cat as averse as possible to these worms that they will have no choice but to release from their attachments and be flushed out through the cat’s feces. Sadly, not many are convinced about its effectiveness. When compared to the D Wormer, however, Feline Wrm Clear has a clear advantage when it comes to its price. Feline Wrm Clear is easy to administer and can also be used on lactating and pregnant kitties.
Formulated to remove hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and roundworms in cats
Antihelminthic effects last up to 2 months
Contains safe and natural ingredients
FDA-registered
Specifically targeted at roundworms, this tasty formula will have your pet worm free in no time. The Pro-Sense Liquid De-Wormer for Cats, when administered correctly can have your pet living the worm-free life for good. Its most active ingredient is Piperazine citrate, there is about 250mg of it present in every teaspoon. Other less active ingredients include, caramel color, flavor, glycerin, methylparaben, potassium sorbate, sugar and of course, some good old water. For the best results, it is advisable to administer it for 14 days at first, then another 30 to keep the roundworms away.
The main active ingredient is Piperazine citrate
It can be taken after food or added directly to food
Suitable for use in a multiple pet household
Not suitable for young or underweight cats
Tastes great
This tablet is the scourge of all tapeworms and roundworms present in your pet’s system. With its effective administration system and its all-around effectiveness, CATNDOG Pyrintel Plus is just what the doctor ordered. Three tablets per bottle may not seem that much, but it is quite effective as the dosage is determined by your cat’s weight. There is no need for an actual prescription with this drug and it can easily be administered by crushing and mixing it with your pet’s food.
Each bottle contains a total of three tablets
A pill is suitable for a cat weighing 8.8 lbs
Easy to administer
Not suitable for pregnant cats and kittens under 6 weeks old
Targets tapeworms and roundworms
The Bayer DrontalBroad Spectrum Dewormer contains 50 Tablets for cats and kittens and is a quick working medication for felines. This preparation uses pyrantel as the base and removes tapeworms, hookworms and large roundworms in cats and kittens. With a tablet weight of 18.2 mg, it provides an economical way of preventing and removing of large roundworms, which is the most widespread intestinal parasite to afflict dogs and cats of any age. Each bottle weighs 8oz and is of dimension 2.5 x 1.5 x 1.8 inches, can be purchased from the vet shop or a pet store. For best ideas, however, it is recommended you consult with your vet officer. It needs to be administered exclusively of other medications to avoid toxicity. It has no known adverse effect so far.
It is inexpensive and recommended for animal rescue groups.
Proven medication against worm infestation in cats
Is suitable for cats and of all ages
Easy to crush into animal food
Treats a variety of common worms that affect pets
The Peak Marketing Pet Wormer gel contains the active ingredient piper zine and provides a very affordable way of warding off worms of all types from cats and dogs. It may be applied directly through the mouth or mixed with your pet’s regular food. Its easy application makes it a preferred choice for many pet owners and comes with a weight of 6.4 ounces. The taste caters immensely to the taste buds of most pets and it can safely be administered to cats and puppies over 6 weeks old. One teaspoonful (5 mL) per 5 lbs. of body weight should be administered to dogs and cats 6 weeks or older. This prescribed amount of treatment should be repeated 10 days after the first dose.
Pleasant to the taste of the pet
Produces results within 24 hours
Can be taken in food
Very inexpensive
In the feline world that is full of dewormers all claiming to be the best, it is easy to get confused and choose the wrong one for your cat. As modern-day pet parent you need to be more vigilant about the things that you buy for your pet. Hopefully, this best dewormers for cats buying guide we’ve prepared will help you become more proactive in terms of managing your pet’s intestinal parasitism issues.
For instance, Praziquantel is most often indicated in the management of tapeworm infections while Piperazine is mostly indicated in the removal of roundworms. For hookworms, a type of roundworm, Mebendazole or even Albendazole is typically used. Another type of roundworm, the whipworm, may also respond well to the administration of Piperazine.
These medications are called anthelmintics or anti-parasitics. They work in a variety of ways.
For example, the anthelminthic Praziquantel has several modes of action. First, it can increase the permeability of the cell membranes of tapeworms and other parasites so that there is a sudden influx of calcium into the cell. This leads to forceful contractions in the parasites similar to seizures. This leads to paralysis and their eventual dislodgement from their sites of attachment. Once dislodged, immune system cells can destroy the parasites.
Second, Praziquantel can also interfere in the worm’s ability to take in adenosine. This can lead to flaccidity which makes the parasite to lose its grip at the site of attachment. Third, the anthelminthic can also neutralize the inherent protective ability of parasites to resist digestive forces, making them highly vulnerable to digestive enzymes.
As for Piperazine, it works by blocking the reuptake of acetylcholine at the junction of the nerves and smooth muscles of the parasites. This action is also mediated by Piperazine’s effects on gamma-aminobutyric acid. The end-result is that the parasite is paralyzed and loses its attachment where it is passed through the stool.
Other anthelminthics may have the same mechanism of action: causing paralysis to remove the worms’ attachment from the walls of the intestines, although the mechanism of causing paralysis may slightly differ from formulation to formulation.
The clinical manifestations of an intestinal worm infestation in cats depend on the location of the infection and the type of the intestinal parasite causing the infection. However, they do share many common manifestations which can include the following:
The presence of worms in the stool and weight loss is very common in tapeworm infections. Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and pot-bellied appearance are typical of roundworm infections. Abdominal pain, weakness, diarrhea, and bloody stool are frequently associated with hookworm infections. If there’s rapid weight loss, severe vomiting, and lethargy in your kitty, you can suspect whipworms to be the culprit.
In choosing the right dewormer you can consider the following factors in your buying decision.
Read the label carefully. Different products come with different active ingredients that are specific for certain types of parasites. Some only work on tapeworms or roundworms while others can provide coverage for other types of worms. Additionally, try to ask your vet about the most effective anthelminthic to use on your pet. While there are products that can be bought over the counter without prescription, it is still best to treat your pet with your vet’s guidance.
Your veterinarian can help you determine whether the dewormer is safe to use or not. Alternatively, you can check the list of ingredients and perform a very thorough search about the ingredient’s safety record. Read the label. Some formulations cannot be used on certain life stages of cats like those below 6 weeks old, those that are lactating, or even those that are pregnant. Again, it is crucial that you allow your vet to guide you in your buying decision.
Some dewormers come in tablet form while others are in liquid drops. Each has its advantages and disadvantages so you will need to choose the one that is a lot easier and more convenient to administer. You may also want to factor palatability as this can affect the success of administration. If it is not tasty, your cat will most likely spit the medication out.
The typical deworming process takes about 2 to 3 weeks to really remove the intestinal parasites from your cat’s system. Unfortunately, this is just for the more usual mild infections. Moderate to severe intestinal parasitism can take even longer to treat especially when some of these worms have already migrated to other organs of the cat’s body such as the lungs, the liver, the heart, and sometimes even the brain. In such cases, your veterinarian will typically evaluate other options.
To understand how you can protect your cat from getting infected with worms, it is crucial that you understand how the different types of worms are transmitted in the first place. This way you know exactly what to do and what things to avoid.
These worms look more like spaghetti noodles. Because of their cylindrical bodies, they are aptly called the roundworms. The 2 most common species known to affect cats include Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina.
These intestinal parasites can be transmitted in a variety of ways, although the most common is through the ingestion of the stool of feces of another cat that has roundworm infection. In most instances, cats eat the intermediate host where the roundworm larvae temporarily reside. Examples of intermediate hosts of roundworms are rodents, birds, earthworms, and even cockroaches.
Roundworms can also be transmitted to kittens by an infected mommy cat. These parasites are known to migrate to the mammary glands where they get transmitted into the breast milk and ingested by the young kitten.
Hookworms are just like roundworms, although smaller, no longer than an eighth of an inch long. The eggs of these parasites are typically found in cat feces. When another cat steps onto or gets in contact with the hookworm-infested stool, the parasite can burrow into your cat’s skin and find its way into its intestines. Alternatively, during grooming your cat can accidentally ingest the eggs where it travels into the intestines where it will mature and produce eggs and more larvae. Young kittens can also be infected with hookworms if the mother cat they are nursing from is infected with Ancylostoma braziliense or any other member of the hookworm family.
These parasites are very easy to spot since they are easily passed down in the stools more as segments than as whole worms. Like your tape measure that has inches or centimeters as segments of measurement, the same is true with Dipylidium caninum and other tapeworm species affecting cats. Many of these segments can break-off so you can easily find them in your cat’s feces or congregating in an area around your pet’s anus.
Cat tapeworms are transmitted by fleas which serve as both a secondary and an intermediate host for the tapeworm. If your cat ingests a tapeworm-infected flea, this will be released from the flea as soon as your cat’s digestive enzymes break down the flea. The freed parasite then latches onto the intestinal wall where it grows and grows.
The most common whipworm that can affect cats is the Trichuris serrata. They are named as such because of their whip-like appearance: a long and slender front and a thick and stubby back, resembling the whip and whip handle, respectively. Whipworm can be transmitted when cats ingest either food or water that has been contaminated with the parasite’s eggs. They find their way into the intestines where they grow, mature, produce eggs, and hatch them to begin another cycle.
Based on the foregoing, preventing worms in cats can include the following.
A: A cat dewormer is a special formula created to target intestinal worms that may usually go undetectable in cats. The two kinds of worms targeted are tapeworms and roundworms. Depending on the type of dewormer used, they tend to attack the worm’s nervous system thus causing their grip on the intestinal walls to loosen. Soon after this is done, they can be flushed out and even seen in your cat’s stool.
A: The symptoms of worms in cats are not quite glaring and at times a mere hunch coupled with a visit to the vet is the best way to discover the worms. Nevertheless, there are some things you can look out for at home. Vomiting could be a clear pointer, additionally, Urinary Tracts infections, straining to urinate, lack of appetite, blood present in the urine as well as licking the urinary area to soothe the discomfort could be indicators of the presence of worms.
A: Most medications will specify how often they should be administered, but there is a general rule of thumb when it comes to these sorts of things. The system is mostly dependent on the age of your feline friend. For kittens, it is best to deworm them once every two weeks until they reach the age of twelve weeks. Subsequently, administering deworming medicine every month until they clock six months of age is advised. After the six-month marker, a good deworming medication should be administered once in three months in order to keep the worms at bay.
A: Again, this is mostly dependent on the type of deworming medicine they are being administered. Some of them work instantly, while others tend to draw out their reaction time in order to really work on the pesky little parasites. In general, deworming medication eliminates adult parasites in a space of 24 hours after they have been administered. Commonly, these formulas will require a second dose, so in about 3-4 weeks later the remaining adults, as well as their larvae, are killed and flushed out.
A: As it is with most things in life, too much of cat dewormer medicine is hazardous to the health of your cat. Depending on the type of medicine administered, this is a slippery slope. In the case of dewormers administered based on the weight of your cat, it is very possible to miscalculate and cause adverse effects. The main indicators of an overdose are vomiting, cramping and also extreme diarrhea.
Choosing the right dewormer for your cat is crucial if you don’t want it to suffer needlessly because of the complications of parasitic infections. More importantly, you can actually prevent these infections from ever happening.