Fleas and Parasites
Sometimes cats will catch fleas or a parasite, but it’s not as bad as it sounds, we promise! With the right care and preventive measures, cats can be easily treated and continue to stay healthy.
Flea Treatments for Cats
Your veterinarian can apply a long-lasting, topical flea-control product like Advantage when the cats are under anesthesia for their neuter surgery.
Oral medications like CAPSTAR can be added to canned food, but be careful because monitoring the dosage is a challenge for cats that share food or have communal bowls. This method works best for a small colony or cats that are used to eating individually.
Change the shelter bedding at least twice a year, and when you do, you can spray the floor with a cat-safe flea-control product. You can also sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth, mint, or dried pyrethrum flowers under the bedding to deter fleas.
Fleas are a natural part of life outdoors, so you can do your best to prevent them by treating the environment, but don’t worry about it too much.
Deworming a Cat
Cats get worms by swallowing fleas during grooming, and can be treated when they’re taken in for neutering. They’ll look like little pieces of rice in the cats’ stool. If you find a neutered colony with worms, it’s not that big a deal!
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are common and won’t harm an otherwise healthy cat. A complete dewormer, such as Drontal Plus, which includes pyrantel pamoate, praziquantel and febantel, comes in pill form.
When using this dewormer you’ll need to monitor the cats closely as they eat and feed them on individual paper plates to make sure each kitty is getting the proper dosage. You can also buy dewormer cat treats from BCP VetChews, Wedgewood Pharmacy, or Roadrunner Pharmacy.
Roundworms
The other type of worm that may be visible in cats’ stool are roundworms. These will look more like small spaghetti noodles. Pyrantel pamoate is most commonly used to treat roundwormsit comes in a liquid form and can be mixed into wet food. It won’t treat tapeworms but using a complete dewormer, such as Drontal Plus, can help with these types of worms, too.
Centragard Treatment
Centragard is a product that came on the market in 2018. It’s a transdermal or topical medication, which means it’s absorbed through the skin, just like flea and tick medication. It’s another complete dewormer and prevents roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and heartworms.