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If you want to know how to deworm a cat or kitten yourself at home then this is the perfect article that you should read. You don’t need your vet every time. Taking care of them and ensuring they are healthy should be at the top of your to-do list. Worms are one of those infections that you will have to deal with. Most of the time kittens inherit them from their mothers; the mothers would really hate themselves if they came to know their kittens got the worms from them.
Aww, don’t be scared like a little child already because it has been said that you must have the skills to deworm a cat. No offense there, but most little kids are always scared. We have got your back though. At the end of this article, you should be able to do it yourself.
Worms can also be from the environment.
This means that learning how to deworm a cat or kitten yourself at home becomes a must know the skill, not a “voluntary” skill.
How to know if your cat has worms?
If you are a seasoned cat owner, then you are probably able to tell when your cat is infected with worms. But for the benefit of our rookie cat owner friends, let us look at some of the symptoms that will tell you that some parasites have infected your Kitty.
- Diarrhea: This could result from a number of infections, worms being among them. Worms cause running fecal matter too. A distinguishing feature could be the presence of blood spots on the excretes. The worms puncture the intestinal walls hence the blood.
- Vomiting: Roundworms potentially causes vomiting in your cat. They are not the only cause of vomiting in cats though. If you see your cat always running to her toilet to vomit, you should not automatically conclude that it is worms that are causing that. I believe you are not that clumsy or dumb. A closer examination of the vomit will reveal the cause. Listen here pal, you will not like examining your cat’s vomit, but you have to do it. Roundworms will be present if they are the reason for vomiting.
- Retarded growth: Kittens with worms have this tendency of never growing up. You could think the gods of the cats had placed a curse on the poor kitten, not knowing that the culprits are having their sweet time inside her tummy.
8 Steps instructions on how to deworm a cat or kitten at home
Deworming your cat is not a straightforward maneuver as you might think.
Your cat will not roll over and invite you to get over with it. This is unless of course the cat is too overwhelmed with the worms. This procedure will make it much easier for you and your cat to get the job done.
1. Get the Cat Worming Prescriptions
Most of us like taking our cats to the vet to be diagnosed and given medication there. If you are a newbie cat owner, then you should get the medication from the vet and administer it yourself. Otherwise, people like me who have dealt with cats all their lives should be competent enough to handle everything at home.
If you are a newbie cat owner, then you should get the medication from the vet.
If you have prior experience, then getting over the counter medication prescription can be less risky. Most of the worm prescriptions are pills. However, others can be tablets, chewable, capsules, liquids, granules or topicals. There are some of the best dewormer for cats
2. Prepare the Cat Worming prescription
Once your vet “Okays” the medication, prepare to take the war to the worms when you get home.
The too familiar phrase, “shake well before use” comes into play here if the medication is liquid or topical. As you do this, keep the medication away from the cat’s sight. Remember when we were kids and would disappear when we sighted mom preparing to give us medicine, your cat/kitten behaves the exact same way.
Keep the medication away from the cat’s sight.
If she does not disappear, she gets a little moody. You know cats, always thinking the whole world revolves around them. These cunny cute cheeky creatures are princesses though. Prepare the medication away from her, and she will not know what hit her. I call this the power of surprise.
3. Calm Cat down after Cat Worming prescription
Before administering the oral medication, ensure your cat is calm.
The process is tricky enough, so you need a happy kitten held in your lap. You will not medicate the cat when she is all jumpy and frightened as hell. Have you ever watched that TV series called “My Cat from Hell?” If you haven’t then after you are done with your cat, grab some popcorn and sit back, then enjoy the show.
4. Wrap Your Cat up
This is just a precautionary measure though in case your cat is unpredictable.
Your cat can still show her true colors even though you may think you know her inside out. I wouldn’t trust my cat that much either.
Use a small blanket, towel or a pillowcase to wrap up the cat, leaving only the head exposed.
At the first chance, the cat will not hesitate to scratch and believe me; those paws are no joke, my friend. She should not be wrapped too tightly though. Suffocation is deadlier than worms anyway. If you trust your cat to be of good behavior, you can avoid wrapping her altogether. This eases her anxiety.
5. Properly hold the cat
The success of the whole operation will depend on how the cat is held. This entails the whole body as well as the head. The recommended position is between or on your legs. Preferably, have another person help you here.
For pills or tablet medication, it gets quite interesting. Getting her to open her mouth and swallow the pill will be a headache. To do this, have your forefinger placed on one side of the cat’s mouth and the thumb on the other side.
Gently push open the cat’s mouth. Caution can never be overemphasized here. Your cunny friend might bite you if she feels threatened. But then, if she does bite you, what the hell, that’s life, man up (I have never heard of “woman up” though) and continue administering the medication.
6. Tilt Cat head back
With extreme calmness, while still applying pressure on the cat’s stomach to open, tilt the cat’s head backward. The mouth should be open just enough for the tablet to get in. An effective way of doing it is to use the thumb to press down the lower jaw as the other finger lifts the upper jaw.
Tilt the head back
7. Give the Cat Worming medication
Once you have opened the mouth big enough, place the pill, tablet or capsule in. If it is a liquid medication, squeeze it inside the cat’s mouth. With the head still tilted backward, allow the cat to close the mouth.
Help the cat swallow the medication by gently rubbing its throat up and down. This initiates the swallowing process. Let the cat maintain the same position; head back and mouth closed until the medication is swallowed.Please, please, please do not let the medication choke her. You don’t want to be judged in the cat’s Kingdom one day for killing one of their members. Keep her on your lap for some time until the dewormer is safely swallowed. She might attempt to ‘spit’ it out just as we did when we were kids.
Give the medication
8. Compliment your Cat
When done, shower her with praises for being such a good girl. This makes her behave well during the next escapade. Affection, delicious treats, all can do the trick. Did I mention that you need to unwrap her? Well, you shouldn’t have waited to be reminded.Treats help her associate deworming with fun and not some roughing up moments like an exorcism. Then let her go. She may be pissed off for a couple of minutes, but she’ll be fine.
Besides, cats normally don’t have that ill motive to revenge and do some bad things to their owners.
Deworm A Cat Summary
Regularly deworming your cat/kitten is one of the best cat care rituals you should inculcate. It is not too complicated, provided you make the cat feel comfortable and make her a treat after that. Next time she will readily comply.
There are exceptions though; some rude cats from hell will make you swear never to try deworming them yourself. Your vet will come in handy in such cases.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article on how to deworm a cat or kitten yourself at home. Rise champ; this wasn’t hard after all, right?
Practice what you have learned on any cat that crosses your path irrespective of whether it is yours or not. If you are caught up deworming your neighbor’s cat without permission, do not blame me though.
