Mouse Cat with Tapeworm problem!

[Bleenie]

I have a mouse cat, she's excellent at her job and catches a couple rodents & an occasional small bird every day. she almost ALWAYS eats them, with the exception of the gut. she will literally run from me if i try to take a dead one away to toss it. I know this is where her tapeworm infestation is coming from but it seems to be getting out of hand these days.

I have always bought my wormer from the vet and she was always wormed at least once a month and rarely had visual signs of a worm problem. Recently though I have been having to ban her from coming inside for naps, and i feel awful because she is an older girl, but i am have been noticing occasionally a worm on her hind end and even found numerous "dead" ones on her bed a few days ago!!! it's AWFUL. She's not bloated or skinny, she's a healthy 8lbs probably but the infestation she's been showing lately has me really worried.

Is it possible her regular wormer is just becoming ineffective? or maybe it's just too large to be effective? I am just at a loss as to what to do to be rid of them. I undertsand that because she's a mouser this is going to always be a problem i have to work to prevent and that's why she was regularly wormed, but it's just out of hand recently and i'm stumpped!

Please Help!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

It's very possible the worms have built up an immunity to the current wormer. This happens quite often. I would switch to a new wormer and try that. Generally,it is recommended to switch back and forth with wormers so that the worms don't build up an immunity to any one type of wormer.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Also, make sure that the wormer you use will treat the type of worm that your cat has. Not all wormers are created equal!

 

[res]

Since it sounds like you have a good relationship with your vet, would it be possible for you to get a stool sample from the kitty for the vet to perform a fecal on? She may have more going on than just the visible tapes.

Tapeworms are tricky in that they can only be killed by a few wormers. And often, the "head" of the tape survives and continues to flourish. Plus, with her being an outdoor hunting kitty, she can continually infest herself, which it sounds like you are aware of.

You said she is older... How old? Sometimes senior cats can start to have issues with liver and kidney function, which can cause them to do poorly and look poorly. Your vet might suggest running a basic blood panel to check levels. Not a lot of good options for handling those issues with an outdoor hunting kitty, but at least you will know it isn't the worms, and what action to take if she "crashes".

 

[Bleenie]

I was going to stop by the vet's office to ask him about it and pick up her flea meds, just haven't been out there yet. I do not know her exact age, but probably 6+ years old. she has some broken teeth in there and they're rather long. She acts/looks healthy, good weight, shiny coat and always bright eyes. only time she acts "blah" is when it's super cold outside so she sleeps half the day!

I think I did something that helped though... probably not reccomended but i figured it was worth a try.
Shortly after I posted, I put 1/4cc of Ivomec on her. I use it on the chickens for their bugs and read before that it treats internal worms too. I haven't seen any on her rear today but I am still going to go to the vet and see what he says. The liquid stuff he gave me was mainly for tapeworms but if she's built up an immunity to it i will have to see if he's got something else. maybe a monthly pill?

 

[Bleenie]

He's a picture of my 'working girl' taking watch over the chicken yard

 

[Jubilee1111]

She is lovely kitty and the picture of health. Black short haired kitties are, in my opinion, the best kitties!

You need to worm her with praziquantel to get rid of tapes. Ivermectin won't do the job.

 

[Bleenie]

She is lovely kitty and the picture of health. Black short haired kitties are, in my opinion, the best kitties!

You need to worm her with praziquantel to get rid of tapes. Ivermectin won't do the job.

Thank you Jubilee I always had a soft spot for Siamese(the mutty kind, not purebreds) but then I got Inky and she's been the best girl.

Is the praziquantel something I can get from my vet or buy at a store/farm store?

 

[Jubilee1111]

I've seen it at higher end pet stores so I don't think it requires a prescription.