On Apr 12, 12:27 pm, Cat Guy wrote:
AMUN wrote:
I thought that tape worms reside or attach to the intestinal
wall (and not the stomach wall) and therefore when the worm
leaves the cat it's by way of the stool.

So is it normal, or unusual, for the worm to be vomited out?
Not 100% normal. but I've heard of that happening even without
deworming. Usually the infestation is pretty bad by the time
it gets to the point it vomits them up though

Although are you sure it wasn't a rubber band ?
Cats can try to eat some pretty strange things

The (male) cat in question was caught in a trap around mid-January on
our front porch and soon after was taken to a vet for neutering,
vaccination and Revolution treatment. I'm pretty sure he was given a
drontal pill during recovery by the vet.

He is kept in a spare room with a minimal amount of furnature. Unlike
other cats we've caught, fixed, and adopted out, this guy has remained
very wild and resists all attempts to socialize with us, even after 11
weeks. I can barely reach out and touch his head without him opening
his eyes and his mouth wide and hissing as he backs into a corner. He
has been quite content to simply sleep in a corner under a table most
of the time. Not a sound from him - unlike the other cats we've
caught (they usually cry at night, I think as they look out the
window).

About a month ago we noticed that there were reddish streaks on the
canvas drop-cover we have on the floor of his room. A new streak
seemed to be appearing each day for about a week or two. I'm thinking
they were bum-scoots. A few days ago he threw up a lot of food, and
that's when I noticed dried tape-worm segments on the blanket where he
sleeps.

So I placed a milbemax pill (un-crushed) in with his food and within
12 hours he vomitted up some food and the worm. It was definately a
worm and not a rubber band.

And the very next night (last night) he started crying. Hopefully his
quiteness and wildness was being caused by GI discomfort that has now
passed and perhaps he might just start being more friendly. We
were/are considering letting him go in a week or two because we
considered him unadoptable.

I'm wondering if I should give him another milbemax in a week just to
make sure we've gotten rid of all the worms.

Comments? Questions?
Here's a technique I've used to quickly make friends with ferals.

I take a stick about 18" long (the first one was a bamboo back
scratcher in the shape of a hand) and sit on the floor or on a chair
near them. It you have them in a bathroom with the door closed,
that's seems easiest. But it's also tricky. Don't chase them.

I sit still and breathe deep and slow until my excitement drains off.
Cats can smell it and ferals don't know if your excitement is
dangerous or not. Then I softly scratch the floor and withdraw. I'll
do this for fifteen minutes.

Then I place my hand on the floor just out of reach and even with
their hips. I hold the stick on the floor parallel to their body up
even with their head, and wag it back and forth a few inches, and then
stop. This may get a hiss.

More breathing and slowing. Hissing goes straight from the cat to my
adrenals. Have to slow back down.

Then I get the stick near enough for them to swat, which they do. If
I haven't made a sound and kept my energy calm, the look on their face
is usually, 'Doh! Just a stick.'

My first stick contact is usually a paw or forearm. This seems to be
the least threatening because they have easy options and feel in
control. Any hiss puts my focus back on my breathing.

With adult ferals it takes me about 30-45 minutes and many hisses
until I'm scratching their neck with the end of the stick. (Damn, I
miss that back scratcher; it was perfect for this.)

With kittens and juveniles, it goes faster. They have so few points
of reference in their young lives that they don't judge me quick. I
can scratch their neck and cheek and slip my hand down the stick until
a finger replaces the stick. Our first affectionate touch.

If adults freak, let them and try again later. Don't chase or squeak
at them. It's not so much that you're going to get scratched, but that
you're confirming some prejudice from their life experience or
instinct.

I can usually pick up the kittens and nuzzle them under my jaw. The
breath sounds and my voice seem familiar to them. Still, don't chase
the kittens yet. A stick with a feather that they can chase is much
better. If you need to coral them at bedtime, have them chase the
feather until their a bit winded and close to you. Then just pck them
up.

Play hard. Pick them up during and after play. Tuck them in and let
them lick cream cheese off your finger.

Cream cheese is the net step with the adults. I lay on the floor and
extend my hand along an arc so they watch it slowly coming from my
side towards their front feet. I stop when they swat me.

If they didn't use claws, which is often the case, then I make eye
contact and smile. Smiling changes my energy. It also masks the
discomfort of laying on the floor. They know when you're
uncomfortable and it can confuse them or put them on guard.

We rescued a 20 pound Manx momma kitty and her two kittens out of the
Tullies. She would sit under the kitchen table and watch her kittens
eat next to our other cats, watch her Manx son curl up to sleep with
our Rottweiller, watch my wife stroke the back and tail of her other
son, and slap the floor like a cheetah every time I approached her.

Then, after a week or so with the stick and the cream cheese, I rolled
over one morning, sweat pouring from the middle of my back, and caught
a glimpse of a big Manx rump gliding off the bed.

She slept with me for weeks. Then one day I was playing with her
kittens. They would run up to my feet, slam on the breaks, crash into
me and run away. I would reach down and swat at their behinds as they
retreated. It got pretty rowdy as the boys got into it. Then momma
got closer to watch.

I tried to get her to play. She backed up, doubt covering her eyes.
I went towards her. She ran back. I moved faster and spoke to her
and she hissed, slapped the floor, and glared at me, the betrayal
filling her eyes and piercing my heart.

She never slept with me again.

Don't chase the adult ferals. Do earn their trust. They're
magnificent spirits.

Wayne