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Question for Cat Mamas-Gross, Sorry.

radleybooradleyboo member
500 Comments 100 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
edited November 2013 in Not Engaged Yet
I know there are tons of cat mamas here, and I have a question.  This past summer, my cat ReRun got a tape worm.  I bought her pills, forced one down her throat, and it 'seemed' to take care of the issue, meaning, I didn't see any more segments in her stool or where she sleeps.  This was in June.  Just now, I saw a segment on her butt and thought to check the other cat nearby, yup, segment.  I'll go and get some more pills and treat them both.  Two questions:

-Do tapeworms get transferred from cat to cat?  We have three cats, and the two who are currently positive go outdoors.  My third cat does not.  Should I treat her too?

-Can I do anything to prevent them from getting tapeworms short of keeping them indoors?  The two that go out are avid hunters, we usually find at least one carcass every time we mow the lawn, and I'm sure that's not even close to what they actually kill.

Any thoughts appreciated.  I'm going to go puke now, so frigging gross.  

Edited for spelling.
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Re: Question for Cat Mamas-Gross, Sorry.

  • buddysmom80buddysmom80 member
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    My cat is an indoor-only cat, but our dog had ringworm when we first got him from the breeder.

    Tapeworms, ringworms, etc can get transferred from cat to cat. They can be in other animal's feces and your pet can pick them up. If it was me, I would treat all cats, indoors and outdoors. Some flea and tick medication also combats certain types of ringworms and tapeworms, so you may want to check with your vet in regards to topical flea and tick solutions for your cat. My cat is on Revolution and my dog is on Trifexis and Parastar.

    Keeping them indoors would be beneficial. Also checking with your vet to see if there's a flea/tick solution that also helps keep tape/roundworms at bay.

    Hope this helps!

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  • radleybooradleyboo member
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    Thank you, that does help.  We use Frontline on all 3 cats, and off the top of my head, I'm not certain it works on tapeworm.  I know it does on fleas, ticks, and heartworm.  I'll check it out at the pet store when I pick up the tapeworm pills.  

    Another thought-I use the 'coat the pill in butter, toss in mouth, rub throat' method to administer pills.  Then I have to follow them around for a few minutes to make sure they don't spit the pills out, one of mine is a clever pill-spitter.  Do you have a better way that works?  
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  • buddysmom80buddysmom80 member
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    @radleyboo pilling a cat is one of life's mysteries, when my cat needed to get pilled (he was on antibiotics once) I paid extra for the liquid form of medication because there was no way in hell Buddy was going to let me coax a pill down his throat, he's kind of an asshole though, so there's that.

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  • KeptInStitchesKeptInStitches member
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    @radleyboo, pilling my cat/BF's cat is a two-person process. One person wraps kitty in a towel (no claw pokes then) and holds their head back, opening the jaw with the same hand. The other person tosses the pill at the throat and rubs for a few minutes to make sure that swallowing occurs. Honestly, liquid meds are easier, but are still a two-person process. We have "independent"/"difficult"/"adorable" kitties.
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  • lennonkdclennonkdc member
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    all I have to add is that I second the liquid meds recommendation and the transition to indoors. Both our girls are strictly indoor cats. 



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  • FutureMr&MrsGFutureMr&MrsG member
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    I believe it can be passed on if they share a litterbox.
    My cat had worms when I rescued him, ever since I've had him he has been an indoor kitty an he has not had a re-occurance :)
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  • IMathleteIMathlete member
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    Invest in a pill popper. I can pill my cat by myself with that, and it's fast and gets the pill way down his throat. They are basically syringes with an open end. Just grab the sides of his head from the back to hold the jaw open, then quick as can be, push the popper in, hit the plunger, then massage his throat. I worked at a vet, and this was about the only way to administer most meds to cats.
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  • Elle1036Elle1036 member
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    Cats most commonly get tape worms from ingesting fleas. The flea carries the bug, jumps on the cat, the cat bites and eats it, and voila. So, even flea meds that kill fleas on your cat may not always be enough to prevent tape worms. I have three cats who are all allowed outdoors on occasion, and it seems like we're always dealing with a case.

    I crush the pills up and mix them into a spoonful of cream cheese. Works like a charm in 66% of my cats.
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  • smalfrie19smalfrie19 member
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    Your outdoor kitties are probably getting them from eating rodents or birds that are carrying. So you can put them on a continuous dosage like flea meds or keep them indoors only.
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  • IMathleteIMathlete member
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    edited November 2013
    @livleighton I am an athlete that completed an IM - Ironman. Hope that clarifies!
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    I've thankfully never had a worm problem with my cats, but I can point out that turning an outdoor cat into an indoor one is often much easier said than done. 

    It would take time for your outdoor kitties to acclimate to not being allowed out anymore, but hopefully they would eventually do so. In the meantime, you may have occurrences of cabin fever, nonstop whining and clawing at doors to get out. It can get maddening. The severity of their cabin fever (or whether they go stir-crazy at all) depends on the cat and just how bad they've got the taste for the outdoors.
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  • radleybooradleyboo member
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    Thank you everyone for the advice, I greatly appreciate it.  I successfully pilled one of the three last night.  The second one (the only one who has claws) got H so bad and was so upset I let her go, and the other pill got dropped on the floor and promptly stepped on.  Back to the store for more today, and I will pick up a pill popper.  I may also try the cream cheese trick-that's genius!

    As for going out, my 13 year old has no interest.  She'll take 2 steps onto the deck, freak herself out and run back in.  The other two are constantly bugging to go out and it honestly keeps the peace.  I will speak to the vet about some sort of regimen for these two Fonzanoons to keep them worm-free.  
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  • CrazyCatLady3CrazyCatLady3 member
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    Haven't ever dealt with tape worm in my cats, but have had to pill them.  One was a clever spitter-outer.  Then we got pill pockets and she would eat the pills right up, no problems!

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  • foxishfoxish member
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    I open the cats mouth and pop pills down their throat with my finger. They don't love it, but they don't spit them out!
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