“How often should I deworm my cat?” is a common question for cat owners. You can’t see them so…..do you really need to worm?
Intestinal worms are common parasites in cats, so the chance that your furry friend will pick them up sooner or later is high — even if they never leave the house.
Why Deworming Your Cat Regularly is Important
First, let’s quickly recap three reasons a regular deworming treatment is so necessary.
1. Keep Your Cat Healthy
We love our pets and want to see them thrive — intestinal worms can derail this. Symptoms of worms in cats include diarrhoea, lethargy, coarse or dull fur, an itchy bottom, constant hunger combined with weight loss, or a distended tummy. Although your cat might look like a picture of health, worms can wreak havoc on the inside, leading to serious health issues and infections such as anaemia, dehydration and intestinal blockages.
2. Prevent Worm Reinfection
Grooming, exploring, scavenging..all the great things your cat enjoys — put them at risk of contracting worms. So while treatment will control and defeat existing intestinal worms, only regular prevention will break the reinfection cycle.
3. Protect Your Family
If you thought intestinal worms only affected your cat, think again! Some worm species, like hookworms, are zoonotic which means they can pass from animals to humans. It’s true that severe infections in humans are rare, but they’re not impossible — so why risk it?
How Often Does a Cat Need Deworming?
Your cat’s deworming routine will depend on its age, lifestyle, and other health conditions that could be risk factors. You’ll also need to check your worming treatment, as different treatments require different dosing frequencies.
Kittens
Kittens are at a higher risk of reinfection and illness because of their developing immune systems, so they’ll need treatment more regularly. Treat your kitten with Felpreva® from 10 weeks of age and greater than 1 kg in weight, to cover all the main parasites including worms, that you need to worry about.
Pregnant and lactating cats
Pregnant queens can pass intestinal worms to their kittens when feeding, so it’s best to keep treatments up to date when breeding. The safety of Felpreva® has not been established during pregnancy and nursing, so we advise using Profender® during this period instead. *
Adult Cats
As a general rule, all adult cats over three months old need treatment every three months (from three months of age).
*Refer to label for full claim and details.
What if my cat hates being dewormed?
The bond you have with your cat is very special. Having to administer parasite protection can be stressful for you and your cat! The simplest way to help maintain this bond is to go for a treatment that is easy to give, covers everything so you’re not giving multiple treatments and lasts the longest.
Specifically designed for cats, Felpreva® is the longest lasting** comprehensive parasite protection that not only covers worms but all the main parasites you need to worry about. The best part is that it comes in an easy to apply spot-on so you only need to treat treat every three months. Less doses means less stressful situations with your cat as well as less packaging so it’s a win for the environment too!
TIP: Treat at the start of each season to easily remember when to treat with Felpreva®!
**Treats and prevents fleas and treats and controls paralysis ticks (Ixodes holocyclus) for 13 weeks.
