How to give your cat medicine

Many pet owners are interested in how to give a deworming suspension to cats. It is much easier to give a suspension to a pet than a tablet, because... it has a liquid appearance and is easier to swallow.

The cat must be placed on your lap. If the animal is disobedient and behaves aggressively, you can wrap it in a blanket and put gloves or mittens on your hands to avoid being bitten. Then open the jaws and introduce the suspension, making sure that the pet swallows it and does not spit it out. The amount of the drug is selected individually by the doctor, depending on the general condition, body weight, age, and degree of the disease.

Preventive measures

As you know, any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Helminthiasis is no exception to the rule, especially since it can be avoided by adhering to the following rules:

• Do not feed your animal raw meat, fish or offal.
• Treat regularly for fleas
• Every 3 months, for prevention, give deworming tablets
• Eliminate contact between the cat and its street counterparts
• Carry out regular wet cleaning of the apartment using disinfectants
• Treat your pet's care items and sleeping place for parasites.

If you adhere to these requirements, you can easily avoid infecting your cat with helminths. In addition, you will protect yourself and all family members in this way. After all, many types of worms that parasitize the body of domestic animals are dangerous for humans and can be transmitted to people through contact with cats or caring for them.

The only thing that should be taken into account is that medications can only be given for prophylactic purposes to healthy animals and it is better after consultation with a veterinarian. This will help avoid the development of complications when taking deworming tablets.

Features of taking suspensions

Anti-worm suspension for cats is given in the morning before meals. When taking some antiparasitic drugs, you may need to follow a diet for several days and use laxatives.

Before treatment with the drug, you need to consider some points:

1. The pet must be healthy at the time of admission.
2. If there are fleas, you need to treat them.
3. If your cat is constipated during the first 24 hours after administration, a laxative should be given.
4. Do not use antiparasitic medications for humans for the treatment of animals.
5. If the cat has not swallowed all the medicine, it is prohibited to give it again.

During therapy, hygiene measures must be observed. The toilet must always be clean, it must be treated with disinfectants and scalded with boiling water. It is important to monitor nutrition; food should not be picked up from the floor. Feeding raw animal products during this period is prohibited.

Give the drug strictly according to the instructions in accordance with the age of the animal, do not give to sick animals, especially in the acute stage. Use during pregnancy and lactation is prohibited.

To prevent the appearance of parasites, it is necessary to exclude raw meat and fish from the cat’s food. It is recommended to carry out anthelmintic preventive therapy every 3 months.

Basic principles of using anthelmintic drugs

In order to completely get rid of parasites and prevent their reappearance in the future, you need to follow the rules of deworming.

1. First, the animal is treated for fleas and other external parasites.
2. Antihelminthic drugs are given to cats 5–7 days before vaccination.
3. The dosage is calculated by the veterinarian or the animal owner in strict accordance with the instructions for use of the drug.
4. You should not give your cat a second dose, even if she has not eaten the entire first dose.
5. On the day of the procedure, the pet must be given an injection of Gamavit. In case of severe infection, Fosprenil is used. The amount of the drug is calculated strictly according to the weight of the animal. Depending on the age of the cat, the drug is administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously.
6. 4-6 hours after deworming, the animal is given an absorbent to remove toxins.
7. You need to monitor your cat for 6-8 hours after deworming. At the first symptoms of poisoning, you should call a veterinarian.
8. The cat is wormed at least 2 times a year.

Pre-treatment for fleas

A cat can become infected with flea worms, for example, if it accidentally ingests a parasite while licking its fur. Therefore, to avoid re-infection with worms, you need to get rid of fleas. Treatment for external parasites is carried out 3-7 days before deworming.

Frequency of regular treatments

To prevent infection, you need to regularly worm your cat.

Deworming before mating and birth

Deworming is one of the mandatory procedures before mating. It is necessary to worm the cat 10–12 days before mating. If helminth infection occurs after mating, the animal will develop the following symptoms:

• decreased appetite;
• sharp deterioration in general condition;
• the presence of worms in feces.

In a pregnant cat, taking antihelminthic drugs can cause miscarriage and the development of congenital pathologies of the fetus. Therefore, if the pet maintains a good appetite and there are no obvious signs of deterioration in health, then the treatment can be canceled.

Deworming kittens

The drug for treating kittens with helminths is selected depending on the degree of infection of the animal.

To get rid of worms in kittens and avoid side effects, you need to follow these rules:

1. Deworming is carried out no earlier than 3 weeks after the birth of the kitten.
2. The procedure is repeated after 10 days.
3. It is necessary to worm the animal every 3 months, as well as 10 days before scheduled vaccination.

Why is re-processing necessary?

Antihelminthic drugs kill adult parasites, but do not destroy parasite larvae. Therefore, in order to completely get rid of helminths, deworming is carried out in two stages. The cat can be dewormed again only 10-12 days after the first procedure.

Review of deworming suspensions for animals

Helminthiasis is one of the most common diseases in animals, cats are no exception. Various factors contribute to a cat becoming infected with parasite larvae. If worms are not treated, they can cause many diseases in the pet’s body and, in particularly advanced cases, lead to the death of the animal.

To prevent such consequences, it is necessary to begin treatment when the first signs of helminthiasis appear. Depending on the type of helminths, medications are divided into groups:

• antinematodes;
• anti-trematodes;
• anticystodic.

The most effective drugs for worms:

• Prazitel;
• Dirofen;
• Dironet;
• Celandine;
• Febtal Combo;
• Helmintal;
• Drontal.

Prazitel is a combination drug that affects different types of helminths in cats. The main component of the drug is pyrantel and praziquantel, which destroy not only adult worms, but also their larvae along with their eggs. It is used once, if necessary, you can repeat the dose after 10 days, it is relatively safe for the animal, because does not have high toxicity.

Dirofen consists of pyrantel, praziquantel, pumpkin seed oil. Destroys round and tapeworms. Thanks to the pumpkin oil in the composition, digestion processes are improved, and worms are eliminated much faster. Taken once in the morning, on an empty stomach, the amount depends on body weight and is selected by a veterinarian. Cannot be used for kittens and animals with insufficient body weight.

Prazitel is a combination drug, consisting of pyrantel and praziquantel, which can be used as a prophylactic agent. The drug itself is low-toxic; in advanced stages of the disease, repeated administration can be done after 7 days.

The main components of the drug Dironet are pyrantel, praziquantel, and ivermectin. The medicine is effective, new generation, acts on all types of parasites, and is easily tolerated by the body. Can be used from three weeks of age.

Celandine is an analogue of Prasitel, Helmintal, Prazicide. Affects almost all types of worms. It is also used for prevention.

The main components of Febtal Combo are albendazole and praziquantel. This is a drug of combined action, destroys all types of worms in one dose; repeated doses are required in rare cases.

Helminthal consists of praziquantel and moxidectin and is available in dosages depending on the age of the animal. Eliminates all types of worms and prevents re-infection. Repeated therapy is allowed two weeks after the first dose.

Drontal is based on praziquantel and pyrantel and is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation; use is allowed in exceptional cases and only in the final stages in consultation with a doctor.

Anthelmintic drops on the withers

Drops on the withers should only be used by healthy, adult animals due to toxicity.

Lately, anti-worm drops on the withers have become increasingly popular. Such drugs relieve your pet of both internal and external parasites. They are excellent in combating all types of helminths, fleas and ticks, but are highly toxic. Although many pet owners prefer them. The drops are easy to use and do not need to be poured into the cat's mouth. It is enough just to drop a few drops into a place that is inaccessible to licking (between the shoulder blades, on the back, withers).

Profender. This is a targeted drug that destroys exclusively helminths (cestodes and nematodes). It contains two active components: praziquantel and emodepside.

It is important to strictly adhere to the dosage, and the drops begin to act within 2 hours after application. Treatment is carried out once, and for the purpose of prevention - once a quarter.

Inspector. Broad-spectrum drops used to kill not only worms, but also fleas, lice, ear mites, etc. Contains fipronil (for fleas) and moxidetin (for worms). Sometimes a skin reaction may occur at the site of application. The drug can only be used in completely healthy, adult animals.

Prazicide complex. A complex drug that allows you to get rid of a huge number of external and internal parasites. The active ingredients are: praziquantel, diphenhydramine, levamisole and ivermectin. After treatment, the animal cannot be bathed for 24 hours. Individual allergic reactions may occur.

Kaniverm. Used for infection with nematodosis and cestodosis. Contains pyrantel, praziquantel and fenbendazole. Do not use for liver diseases or pregnancy. May cause negative reactions caused by the decomposition of dead worms inside the body. Requires strict adherence to dosage.

Possible side effects

All drugs for helminthic infestation are toxic to some extent; when used, the prescribed dosage must be strictly followed. If the application method is violated or an overdose occurs, the body becomes intoxicated and side effects appear:

• lethargy;
• vomit;
• gastrointestinal disorder.

If such signs are present, you need to contact a veterinarian for gastric lavage and intestinal cleansing. Worm infestation is a dangerous disease for an animal, so if it is detected, it is necessary to urgently carry out anthelmintic treatment.

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