Many ailments can affect your cat’s health, various worm inflections being chief among them. Tapeworms, hookworms, lungworms, and roundworms are all common inflections you may have to deal with sooner or later.
Luckily, cat worms are commonly able to be treated at home via the convenient use of cat dewormers. You’ll want to look for dewormers that are fast-acting, easy to apply or ingest, and safe for your cat. A good taste for the cat won’t hurt either!
Let’s check out the top 6 options on the market this year!
This product is best for treating cats with tapeworms. Affordable and easy to use, the Bayer Tapeworm Dewormer is a go-to product for most cat owners. These tablets are specifically designed to target and destroy tapeworms, bringing your cat back to normal as quickly as possible.
These tablets are easily administered to your cat directly or crushed up and placed in your cat’s food.
Many veterinarians will attempt to prescribe medication composed of almost the exact same ingredients but at a much steeper price. Cat owners should save themselves the hassle of an exorbitantly priced visit to the vet and instead go straight to the trusted brand when attempting to fight tapeworms.
For cats that are suffering more than one worm infection at a time, Bayer’s answer to multiple infections is worth looking into. Good for large roundworms and tapeworms and hookworms alike, this is the best possible solution for those who fear their cat may be suffering from multiple infections at once.
Even better, if you are unsure of what worms specifically your cat is suffering from or worry you have not been given a precise diagnosis, these Drontal tablets are a great solution for cat owners. While more costly, these are great to have on hand as a cure-all for future worm scenarios.
This is a liquid option for those less inclined to attempt hiding tablets in their cat’s food. Working to fight off roundworm infections through utilizing piperazine citrate, this liquid is great for those looking to fight off roundworms specifically.
Follow the recommended dosage structure carefully in order to avoid possibly harming your cat with too much of the fast-acting liquid. Those worried about long-term care will enjoy using this liquid every 30 days as a preventative measure.
This liquid is effective for usage treating large roundworms and each bottle contains multiple doses.
Pros
Affordable and appealing to picky cats
Easier to use on cats wary of medicines in food
Cons
Not suitable for cats that are pregnant or nursing
This dewormer takes a different approach in terms of application. Rather than work to treat pre-existing worms internally, the HomeoPet WRM Clear works to create an environment within which worms cannot thrive.
Using this glide within one’s home effectively creates an environment in which preexisting worms are flushed out of a cat’s system and new worms are prevented from forming.
This is a great solution for cat owners who wish not to subject their pets to over the counter medicines. By using all-natural ingredients, this glide becomes a solution suitable for cats of all ages.
Pros
Non-digestible solution to worm treatment
Easy to use and glides onto furniture clearly
Cons
Worms will be live when flushed from the cat’s system, as it does not kill worms
These drops are made from natural ingredients that are beneficial to the all-around wellbeing of cats and dogs. While working to treat worm infections in pets, these drops are also a great aid to your pet’s digestive system.
This is a good solution for those will multiple pets. It is likely that all pets will have to be treated for worms in order to get rid of them for good. Administering these drops to your pet’s food can be a great way to kill all of your pet’s worms, once and for all.
The all-natural ingredients make this product suitable for use with kittens and nursing cats alike.
Pros
All natural
Easy to administer drops
Cons
May take up to a few weeks to completely flush out worms
This is a great, super affordable deworming solution for the times which it just does not seem the worms are going away. While this is one of the less expensive solutions we’ve used, it is also one of the most effective.
This is another liquid dewormer and works to treat active worms as well as in a preventative capacity. By using the drops to get rid of existing worms and then following up within the recommended time, 30 days, one can be sure to effectively get rid of the worm and keep them away.
Using the aforementioned piperazine citrate as its main ingredient, this liquid is a powerful solution.
While the aforementioned products are all effective solutions for regulating worm development in cats, the one product we have seen the most success with firsthand is the Bayer Tapeworm Dewormer.
The price and effectiveness of these tablets simply cannot be beat. For a fraction of the cost of veterinarian-prescribed tapeworm medicine, these over-the-counter tablets seem to work just as well as a doctor-prescribed solution.
What’s more, these tablets are easily administered to cat food by crushing them up or placing them among the food, all depending on picky of an eater your cat is. Regardless, we have not seen much pushback from our own cats regarding the taste of these tablets.
When compared to other over-the-counter worm treatments, the price of the Bayer tablets simply cannot be beat. They even outperform other similar treatments, bringing your cat back to peak health in a matter of days.
Buying Guide
While the aforementioned brands of cat dewormers come highly recommended, you’ll have to choose between them in order to find the best solution for your cat. Luckily, there are a few standard factors that one should consider in order to achieve the best deworming results.
Identify Your Cat’s Needs
Before committing to a specific type of dewormer, you’ll likely first want to identify what sorts of worms your cat is facing. If your cat is experiencing tapeworms, a hookworm solution will likely be of little help.
There are a few main types of worms your cat could be experiencing: roundworms, tapeworms, lungworms, and hookworms. While there are solutions out there built for all-purpose worm relief, such as Bayer’s dewormer, they are often more expensive.
These tablets can be a godsend after every other path has failed, or for cats truly experiencing multiple types of worms. However, they may not always be completely necessary.
By first identifying the types of worms your cat is confronted with, you can take a more direct approach to curing them quickly.
Tapeworms
These worms are more easily identified within your cat’s coat than others. Often, these worms may appear as small grains of rice stuck in your cat’s fur. Upon closer inspection, these worms appear long and flat, similar to pieces of tape.
Because these worms often become stuck in a cat’s fur, they are often carried from one animal to another by fleas. It is likely that if your cat is suffering from tapeworms they are also suffering from fleas and may require further treatment. By the way, to prevent fleas in the first place, check out our list on flea collars.
Hookworms
These worms can prove to be extremely harmful to cats. Cats may become infected with these worms by either ingesting them, through another animal already infected, or by having these hookworms bury themselves into the cat’s fur.
Making themselves at home within a cat’s intestinal wall, these parasites keep themselves alive by feeding off of your cat’s blood. In turn, this can cause your cat to become anemic.
Anemia in already susceptible cats such as kittens or nursing cats can lead to serious health complications for the already compromised immune systems of these cats.
If you suspect your cat may be suffering from hookworms and present themselves as more lethargic than normal, it is best to get a professional opinion as soon as possible in order to avoid further health complications for your cat.
Roundworms
These worms are particularly insidious, beginning by attaching themselves to your cat’s intestines, these worms quickly multiply and lay eggs that can attach themselves to other organs.
One roundworm soon leads to many, and this infection is best fought off while there are fewer worms to treat. Prolonged exposure to roundworms without adequate treatment can potentially lead to a prolonged period of treatment.
Roundworms are transmitted through other small animals which are infected with them, as well as bodily excrement from infected creatures, including a mother’s milk.
In fact, these worms are so contagious that not only do owners have to worry about their other pets catching these worms, but humans do as well. Those with cats suffering roundworms will likely want to try both internal and external treatments in order to keep their homes as safe as possible.
Cats infected with roundworms will likely experience excessive vomiting and diarrhea, and the worms will be found present in their excrement.
Lungworms
These are worms that infect a cat’s lungs directly. Rooting themselves in a cat’s lungs, these worms can cause breathing problems for otherwise healthy cats.
Lungworms are carried by contaminated animals which may be ingested by housecats, as well as carried within infected water.
If your cat is exhibiting signs of extreme difficulty breathing or wheezing, it is best to bring it in to the vet as quickly as possible. Your vet may identify excessive fluid buildup within your cat’s lungs and diagnose your cat as carrying lungworms.
Choosing Between Types of Solutions
After diagnosing the type of worms your cat is suffering from, you’ll next want to figure out what kind of solution you’ll want to give your cat. There are various types of solutions between the pill and liquid forms of worm medicine for cats.
Some variations utilize more naturally occurring ingredients than others, making them safer for kittens and nursing cats. Completely natural solutions will likely not be as aggressive towards worms as their chemical counterparts and may not get rid of worms effectively.
You’ll want to choose a solution somewhere in the middle, allowing the solution to be gentle enough for your cat to use it without harm while still being damaging enough to the infectious worms.
Tapeworm Treatments
Praziquantel
This is an ingredient commonly found in many tapeworm medications for cats for the simple reason that it impairs the tapeworms. By keeping the tapeworms from being able to digest nutrients, the tapeworms quickly die out.
Eventually, the tapeworms will starve to death and disintegrate, riding your cat of the pests.
Roundworm Treatments
Piperazine
This solution is found in roundworm medication as it works to paralyze roundworms. Without the ability to reproduce and consume nutrients, no further tapeworms will be created and the existing tapeworms will die out.
Medicines with this ingredient should be dosed out appropriately as overdoses can have negative side effects for a cat’s health and digestive system. You will know if you’ve given your cat too large of a dose by an increase in your cat’s nausea.
Hookworm Treatments
Pyrantel Pamoate
This ingredient is found in both hookworm and roundworm treatments and works to paralyze both worms. Hookworm rely on attaching themselves to your cat’s intestinal walls in order to survive.
This medicine’s paralytic effects cause the hookworms to fall off of the intestinal wall and pass through your cat’s stool.
Check Side Effects and Doses
Some of these medications may potentially do extensive harm to your cat. It is best to follow the directions on the label to a tee in order to avoid this. It should tell you if it is safe for kittens, and if so, from what age it is safe for them.
Do not give medication that is not advertised as safe for kittens to young cats or cats that are pregnant or nursing, as the medication will likely be transmitted to the kittens that way.
It is also important to follow the recommended instructions for dosage. To ensure your already vulnerable cat is not exposed to further potentially harmful circumstances. Dangerous doses of these medications can exacerbate your cat’s worm symptoms, causing vomiting and diarrhea.
If you are following the medication’s given instructions and find your cat is getting worse, immediately stop dispensing the medication and take your cat to a professional.
Keeping Your Cat Worm-Free
The best way to ensure your cat does not suffer reinfection is to keep your cat indoors and away from wild carriers of worms. Keep your home clean and ensure proper steps are taken to keep fleas away, as they can also carry these worms.
Keeping your cat strong and healthy can help its immune system to fight off further infections.
We are the Pet Cat Friends, a dedicated group of pet loving bloggers and product testers for all your meowy needs. We research, test, and review cat related products with the help of our collective 21 cats. Feel free to leave us feedback and treats!
