How regularly should I treat my cat for worms?
How often we should treat cats for worms depends on their lifestyle and who they share a home with.
Worm treatment generally needs to be given at least four times a year – so, every three months. However, if you have a cat who enjoys hunting, someone in your home is pregnant or an older person, or you have children under 10, you should worm your cat more frequently – such as once a month. For additional advice, check with your vet, pharmacist or animal medicines adviser.
Whatever worm treatment frequency is in place for your cat, remember to use the treatment at this interval to stay on top of worms. Any break in treatment means the problem can build up and, unfortunately, cause health concerns.
What about worms in kittens?
Kittens can become infected with worms by their mothers, so it’s important they’re wormed at the right time. Also, kittens need a different treatment pattern to adult cats – and a product that’s right for their age and body weight.
From weaning until they’re 6 months of age, kittens should be wormed every month. If you have any concerns, you can ask your vet, pharmacist or animal medicines adviser. Follow their recommendation and your kitten’s worm worries will soon be over.
What if my cat won’t take tablets?
We know giving tablets can be tricky for some of us who have lively or stressed cats. A pill popper is one way to overcome this. These useful tools keep our hands further away from cats’ teeth and whiskers, which can make worming less stressful for our cats…and for us!
Alternatively, you might want to try a spot-on worm treatment. These work in the same way as spot-on flea treatments, and are simply applied to the skin on the back of their neck.
Or there are tasty chewing worming tablets, such as FRONTLINE® WORMER. Because chewable tablets aren’t like regular tablets, even fussy eaters may be more likely to take them voluntarily – either on their own or with food. And because FRONTLINE® WORMER kills all intestinal worms found in the UK (roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms and hookworms), it’s a simple way to provide comprehensive worm protection.
What else can I do to prevent worms in cats and people?
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Regularly clean out pet bowls – both water and food bowls
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Avoid unprocessed raw meat diets – these could contain worm life stages
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Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them – again, in case these have any worm life stages on them
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Wear gloves when gardening as worm eggs may be in the soil
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Clean their litter tray immediately after they’ve pooped
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Wash our hands after handling our pets and before eating food, in case they have any worm eggs on them
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Cover any children’s sandpits when they’re not in use (so animals don’t use it as a big litter tray!)
Why will regularly treating my cat or kitten for fleas help with worms too?
Wondering how defleaing your cat can possibly help with protecting them from worms? Well, the simple answer is that fleas can carry worm eggs. Because our cats love to groom themselves, they may swallow fleas (and the worm eggs fleas carry) while sprucing themselves up. That’s why regular flea treatment with a product like FRONTLINE PLUS® can help protect cats from worms too.
If you have a kitten, remember they can only be treated with FRONTLINE PLUS® if they’re at least 8 weeks old and 1 kg in bodyweight.
Take care of your pet, take control in your home
FRONTLINE PLUS® kills both fleas and ticks on cats, plus its advanced formula stops the flea eggs that fall off pets from hatching in your home.
Don’t let wriggly little worms off the hook – a regular worming routine will help put a stop to these parasites. And knowing all the other little things on this page can make a big difference in keeping the furry and non-furry members of our families protected from worms.
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