Worm your cat whilst keeping your fingers

Anyone with a cat will know the pain of trying to convince your feline friend to take a tablet. Even if you do manage to get a sneaky pill into your kitty's mouth; normally after you have mastered to art of towel swaddling, the delightful souls can often spit them out. Sometimes there is no alternative and a tablet is the only way of getting a certain medication into your cat's system, but it's always best to check. Luckily manufacturers have had the common sense to know that routine worming shouldn't be a struggle and now there are several alternatives that I shall talk about. 

All of the products listed below are known as POMVs ( Prescription Only Medications Veterinary surgeon). You may obtain prescription only medicines category V from your veterinary surgeon or from another veterinary practice or a pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon however, can only prescribe POMVs for animals under his or her care. This means that they must have physically examine the animal in the last 12 months. Most vets do not charge for a worming or flea prescription check as long as you buy the product from them. Alternatively you can get your vet to write a prescription should you wish to purchase the product online for example. Vets are not permitted to advertise the sale of these products, which can be quite frustrating as they tend to be the strongest and most scientifically proven products. As I'm not regulated by such rules and I only want talk about products I would recommend to a friend, let's go ahead and discuss each one.

Spot on's 

Yes you can get spot on worm treatments too! Personally I find these pretty simple to use and can dab on and then run for cover. Most of the products are absorbed pretty quickly, however if your cat does decide to rub a bit off, the good news is they are just treating their environment too! ( Disclaimer here: Some of the products could potentially mark soft furnishing and leather products... always read the label). It is important to know the weight of your cat and it's age as all the products come in weight categories. Worming of kittens and pregnant queens is a different issue. This article focus on adult cats only. 

Wormer only spot on 

You might be using the wonderful Setesto collar ( I shall be talking about this more and will add a link to my article shortly.) for flea and tick prevention and just need to treat your cat for worms. If this is the case you could use Bayers Profender spot on, it contains exactly the same parasite punching ingredients as the over the counter Drontal tablets but unfortunately it is only available via your vet. I am not really sure why?

Flea, Tick and Wormer all in one

 

Yes it sounds too good to be true, but it does exist. Made by Merial, Broadline is a pretty brand new product and is only available for cats. Personally this is my favourite product out of all of them, its simple and contains just enough anti-parasite protection. They also make Frontline which treats for fleas and ticks only. 

Fleas, Wormer, Demodex and Sarcoptic Mange and ear mites all in one

This product certainly pulls out all the stops. Some cats might not feel the threat of ticks, but are susceptible to the dark black ear parasites Otodectes known as ear mites or have the itchy and sore skin parasites...the contagious mange mites. If this is the case then Bayer's Advocate is the product for your cat.  

WARNING 

Cats are extremely sensitive to a chemical known as permethrin which is present in some dog products.  

Never use a parasite treatment intended for dogs.  

Permethrin cases the cat's central nervous system to go awal, they have terrible seizures and either die or have to be euthanised.  Learn more about permethrin poisoning in cats.