Cats can suffer from many types of intestinal parasites, the most common being worms such as roundworm, tapeworm and hookworm, which require regular deworming.
Other intestinal parasites include protozoa, which are too small to see with the naked eye, e.g. Giardia, Isospora, Toxoplasma and Tritrichomonas. Diagnosing these requires a stool sample to be sent to a laboratory. Protozoa are not affected by dewormers.
All parasites can affect humans, often causing temporary illness but some causing more serious disease.
Deworming of cats against roundworm should always be done for the mother cat and kittens, and for adult cats when roundworms are seen in vomit or faeces.
Deworming against tapeworm is only done when the tapeworm’s small infectious segments (proglottids) are seen in the faeces or crawling in the fur around the anus, tail or back.
Young (up to 2 years old) outdoor cats that hunt will inevitably be infected with roundworm. The Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA) recommends deworming them after testing, or twice a year.
Adult hunting cats (over 2 years old) usually build up some immunity to roundworm. Annual deworming is then sufficient in areas with a dense cat population.
Strictly indoor cats that were properly dewormed as kittens do not need to be dewormed again.
Symptoms
Sometimes no worms are seen in the cat’s droppings; instead, common signs of worms are varying degrees of diarrhoea, a dull coat, a pot belly and weight loss despite a good appetite.
However, many other conditions (overactive thyroid, kidney/liver problems, FIP, tumours etc.) cause similar symptoms. So don’t wait long before contacting a vet if deworming has been tried without results.
There are also special “Kollamasken” test kits for worms (except tapeworm) at some pharmacies. They are used if you can’t see anything yourself but want to be sure whether the cat has worms before deworming.
Medication
The biggest problem for many owners is getting the tablets into the cat, especially when they need to be given several days in a row. Deworming for cats is now available as a simple spot-on, applied directly to the skin on the neck as a single treatment. Spot-on products (Profender) are prescription-only.
During a home visit for vaccination or another procedure, I can help you deworm your cat(s) with the spot-on product Profender.
If deworming is wanted at the visit, the cat’s weight is needed to give the correct dose. An e-prescription is issued and collected by the owner so that it is available at home before the visit (i.e. it is not a medicine I keep in stock). The owner’s full Swedish personal identity number is needed to issue an e-prescription.
Read more about cats’ internal and external parasites on the website of the Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA).
Cats do not need specific deworming after travelling abroad (as dogs should). But do read more about travelling abroad with a cat on the website of the Swedish Board of Agriculture (SJV).
Request a quote via the contact form, stating under “Message” that you would like deworming, together with a valid Swedish personal identity number.
