Expert: Tomay - 4/15/2006

Question
I have read that cats need to be dewormed every 6 months. my question is if you have an indoor cat do you still need to deworm it if so how much does it cost, how are worms caused and do you have any advice on how to raise a cat healthly affectly while on a tight college student budget?
thanks!  

Answer
Hello Katy,
I have never heard of worming cats every six months!  That is an obvious typo!  When kittens go through their first sets of shots, any deworming is done then.  For the average house cat who is healthy, there is no reason for them contract any kind of parasitic worms, with the exception of tapeworms.  Tapeworms are very common in both cats and dogs, and are the direct and sole result of the ingestion of a flea.  The segments of the worm can be found around the rear end of the cat, as well as rice-like additions to the stool.  If this is not obviously present, then there is absolutely no need whatsoever to have your cat dewormed every six months.  Perhaps this was the suggestion of an over zealous vet.  Tapeworms are easily treated with over the counter meds, or in a more natural form via diatomaceous earth.  So no need to worry, as most cats, especially those indoors, have very little chance of having to deal with worms of anysort.
Hope this has been helpful, and thank you for your intrest in this site.
Thanx,
Tomay