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can I worm them myself?
we used when I was kid w/our dogs...I never had to worm any of my cats
and the SPCA said they were wormed lynn One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. ~A. A. Milne |
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Candace wrote in message oups.com... wrote: we used when I was kid w/our dogs...I never had to worm any of my cats and the SPCA said they were wormed lynn You should never worm them with an over-the-counter wormer. They are very toxic and can make them sick and they often don't work anyway. Do you have reason to believe they have worms? If not, they don't need to be wormed. Only get worm medication from your vet. Candace I don't know what it's like in the US but most people in Aus worm cats with a powder, paste or tablet bought at the supermarket. They are fine as long as you buy a quality one and weigh your cat first. The ones prescribed by the vet are slightly better quality, but I've found supermarket ones easy, cheap, quite comprehensive and keep my cat (and dogs) healthy. I would prefer one from the vet, but better a supermarket one (as long as you follow the instructions and weigh your cat first) than none at all. |
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I'd take the cat and a stool sample to the vet. It's best to have the stool
analysed to identity the parasite and have the appropriate med prescribed. wrote in message oups.com... we used when I was kid w/our dogs...I never had to worm any of my cats and the SPCA said they were wormed lynn One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. ~A. A. Milne |
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I'd like to share a story-
Tuffy (RB) was a Siamese mix - long hair, white feet, and husky. Like 15 solid pounds husky. And strong? Forepaws like steel bands. One day I noticed a "grain of rice" hanging off his backside. I called the vet and said "Tuffy has a worm. Can I come and get a pill?" (The vet knows me well from my several cats and long years acquaintance, and said yes) so I went and got the one, very large, pill. I brought it home and said to myself "Tuffy hates taking pills. I'm going to have to finesse him" so I cut the pill in quarters, and coated a quarter in butter and offered it to him. This usually worked, but not today. Tuffy wouldn't take it. So I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, popped his head back, and shoved it in. I closed his mouth (bear in mind I have Flailing Claws of Death windmilling by my hand, Laser Beams of Death coming out of his eyes, and Cat Curse Words of the Highest Order being snorted out his nose during this whole process) and held it shut for a minute or so, stroking his throat and telling him what a good cat he was. He gave me a baleful look and spat the damn pill out as soon as I let him go. I grabbed it and shoved it in again. This time he was ready for me and I didn't get it past his tongue. By this time the 1/4 of the pill was almost dissolved, so I moved on to the next 1/4, hoping that 3/4 would be good enough. This one I smeared in canned cat food, which Tuffy licked off and left the pill, lonely and soggy, on the plate. So I got the big gun - baby food with beef flavor - out and smashed the remaining 1/2 the pill. Offered it to Tuffy, who turned up his nose and sauntered away. Eek! Cat 3, worm pill 0. So I called the vet's office again. "Tuffy wouldn't take the pill. Would you guys pill him?" It's a testament to Science Diet Adult Maintenance dry that my several cats make very infrequent trips to the vet. This gal didn't know me, and didn't know Tuffy. That explains the scorn in her voice when she said "You mean you can't pill your cat?" I said (meekly) "No, he's fighting it" and she said "Okay, bring him in" (you lame-o) So I popped Tuffy in the carrier and went to the vets office. I put the carrier up on the counter and announced "Here's Tuffy". He was crouched in the corner (the only other time he'd been to the Vet was for the Big Snip and he knew nothing good happened at this place, no matter HOW friendly they act) looking pretty harmless, and Assistant #1 said, we'll go into the exam room and give him his pill. I agreed and we went in the room and shut the door. She swung open the door of the carrier and cooed "Come on, Tuffy" and reached in to grab his paw. He set the brakes, and she could NOT pull him out of the carrier. I started giggling at this point and decided to just enjoy the show. She tried a couple more times - grabbing both forepaws and pulling, tried his scruff. No success. She admitted defeat and called for the lab assistant. (I'm not laughing out loud - yet) The lab assistant held the cage on end (so the open door was facing down) while #1 tried to get all four paws cornered so they could get him out. No go. The lab tech shook it. Tuffy just rode it out. Finally they dismantled the cage (undoing the screws holding it together) and took the top off. You've got him out of the cage, now what? They've finally recognized that they have encountered a Totally Superior Species at this point. They call in a third set of hands. One holds the front paws, one controls the body, and one cranks his head back and inserts the pill. All three of him hold their appointed body parts with a seriousness that is almost scary for a minute afterward. It is determined that he has swallowed the pill. The first girl gathers her dignity and says to me "I can see why you had trouble. HE HAS A VERY LONG MUZZLE." Lady, that cat is better than both of us and you'd just better admit it. It took 3 of you to overcome him. Fortunately, that was Tuffy's second and last encounter with the vet. He went to the Rainbow Bridge at the ripe old age of 15, having ruled the block and every cat and dog on it for all of his life. I still miss his swagger and his pretty blue eyes. Short answer is, yes you can worm them yourself, IF you get the pill from the vet. The stuff you buy over the counter is crap and not worth the money and may make your cat sick. Know what kind of worm it is (be able to describe it - the most common either look like little wires or grains of rice) or worm for more than one kind. According to my vet, "most" kittens have worms at birth (which I have not found to be the case but who am I to argue with the expert) and cats can pick up worms from eating fleas or eating birds/rodents that they catch, which pretty much takes in everybody. Sorry to go on so long, but I love this story and thought you would too. Cinbad |
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C Schmidt wrote:
Short answer is, yes you can worm them yourself, IF you get the pill from the vet. The stuff you buy over the counter is crap and not worth the money and may make your cat sick. Know what kind of worm it is (be able to describe it - the most common either look like little wires or grains of rice) or worm for more than one kind. According to my vet, "most" kittens have worms at birth (which I have not found to be the case but who am I to argue with the expert) and cats can pick up worms from eating fleas or eating birds/rodents that they catch, which pretty much takes in everybody. Sorry to go on so long, but I love this story and thought you would too. Cinbad Very cute story, nicely written. Candace |
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