Kitten Worms

[Ninipow13]

What’s the most common worm in baby kittens? If I deworm my babies which kind of dewormer should I get? I picked up a dewormer at Walmart but it only tackles roundworms. I don’t know if that’s sufficient for now or if I just wasted my money. I’ll get them dewormed by the vet too but that might take me another 2 weeks or so.

 

[Norachan]

I strongly recommend that you DON'T use any OTC worm or flea meds on kittens!

Lots of the cheaper brands cause allergic reactions and pets have even died from them. Google the name of the brand you bought, there might be a lot of warnings online about it.

Call you vet and ask them if they can give you a wormer to use. They will know the best brand to use on kittens. If you can take a sample of kitten poop to the vet they can check to see if they have any worms without seeing the kittens.

How old are your kittens? Have they ever been outside? Was Mum an outdoor cat?

 

[Ninipow13]

I strongly recommend that you DON'T use any OTC worm or flea meds on kittens!

Lots of the cheaper brands cause allergic reactions and pets have even died from them. Google the name of the brand you bought, there might be a lot of warnings online about it.

Call you vet and ask them if they can give you a wormer to use. They will know the best brand to use on kittens. If you can take a sample of kitten poop to the vet they can check to see if they have any worms without seeing the kittens.

How old are your kittens? Have they ever been outside? Was Mum an outdoor cat?

They’re 6 weeks and yes I believe mom cat is a wild one and these were born outdoors.
I bought it because it has good reviews on Amazon and it’s safe for kittens 6 weeks and up.

 

[stephanietx]

I would get them to the vet and have a fecal done. Then the vet can give them deworming meds.

 

[Norachan]

What's the name of the product?

Do you think the kittens have worms? Are they bloated or gassy? Have you seen worms in the litter box?

Round worms look like strands of spaghetti. Tape worm look like grains of rice.

Really, with a first worming on young kittens I'd feel a lot safer getting a vet to treat them.

 

[jen]

Round and hookworms are common as are tapeworms. A broad spectrum dewormer will take care of the round and hooks. The key is to get the active ingredients right. Look for Pyrantal Pamoate. You can buy it online and it is exactly what the vets use for round and hookworms. Praziquantal is for tapeworms. Again these are the active ingredients. Many pet stores sell "Tape Worm Tabs" It is usually a bottle of 2 or 3 tabs. As always, double check the dosages for kittens of 6 weeks.

Kittens start their vaccines at 8 weeks so you might as well just wait until you take them in to start the series to also deworm them at that time. This way you can take a fecal in to test so that you accurately treat the worms they have.

 

[Ninipow13]

What's the name of the product?

Do you think the kittens have worms? Are they bloated or gassy? Have you seen worms in the litter box?

Round worms look like strands of spaghetti. Tape worm look like grains of rice.

Really, with a first worming on young kittens I'd feel a lot safer getting a vet to treat them.

Prosense dewormer.
Honestly I don’t know. Their bellies are round but they eat good and alot. No worms in their poop or around their butt. The vet too thought there’s a high chance that they have worms.
I won’t be able to bring them back until 2 paychecks from now but I don’t want to wait too long to get them treated.

 

[Ninipow13]

Round and hookworms are common as are tapeworms. A broad spectrum dewormer will take care of the round and hooks. The key is to get the active ingredients right. Look for Pyrantal Pamoate. You can buy it online and it is exactly what the vets use for round and hookworms. Praziquantal is for tapeworms. Again these are the active ingredients. Many pet stores sell "Tape Worm Tabs" It is usually a bottle of 2 or 3 tabs. As always, double check the dosages for kittens of 6 weeks.

Kittens start their vaccines at 8 weeks so you might as well just wait until you take them in to start the series to also deworm them at that time. This way you can take a fecal in to test so that you accurately treat the worms they have.

That’s my plan exactly. When I brought them in last week they were too young for their first set.

 

[Norachan]

OK, I found this;

It is really important to only use this product if your cat has roundworms. Tapeworms and hookworms require different active ingredients.

It is also important to know exactly how much your cat weighs so that you can give them the proper dosage. You will need to give your cat 1/4 tsp per 2 1/2 pounds. My big guy weighs 20 pounds, so he needed a whole teaspoon.

It seems like a good product, but make sure you weigh the kittens before you give it to them.

 

[GalaxyGirl]

Prosense dewormer.
Honestly I don’t know. Their bellies are round but they eat good and alot. No worms in their poop or around their butt. The vet too thought there’s a high chance that they have worms.
I won’t be able to bring them back until 2 paychecks from now but I don’t want to wait too long to get them treated.

I've used that one before. It worked great. Though normally vets do roundworms in rounds so you'd need to do 3 rounds every 14 days or it wont work.

The meds only kill the roundworms and not the eggs. Nothing can kill the eggs so that's why you must do many rounds. I'd check with a vet first.