Sunday, April 19, 2009

Deworming of your cat

Periodical deworming of your cat is necessary along with vaccinations and regular treatments for fleas. It's a major part of their health maintenance and is very important for you also.

Usually all kittens are born infected with some form of a worm. These worms can be transmitted via the mother's milk or through placenta. The same goes for an aged cat as well. It takes a lot of effort to keep cats worm-free. For this the veterinarians will suggest deworming of your cat, as needed.

As roundworms are very common in kittens, it is important to worm them very frequently when they are young. The recommendations are to treat them every two weeks from about six weeks of age to 16 weeks of age.
Tapeworms are only usually a problem in older cats, so adult cats need to be treated with a drug active against both roundworms and tapeworms. The frequency of treatment will vary slightly depending on whether the cat hunts or not and whether it is treated regularly for fleas. Treatment is recommended every 2-6 months in adult cats, with a drug active against roundworms and tapeworms.

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