Worming nightmare

[Bkueeyedcat]

Hi I am really struggling to get worming pills into my cat because of his size he needs 1 1/2 drontal tablets. For a bit of back ground generally I can worm/medicate anything cats dogs horses cows sheep etc. I have frequently in the past been asked to worm friends “impossible to worm horses” and even my old vet was stunned at my ability to worm my dogs. In the past cats are a doddle to worm. I currently own the most placid easy going cat in the world even when he plays he hadn’t got his claws out until I try and worm him he turns into a fiend the last time he nearly scratched my hand off. The vet initially thought I was being a bit wet about the whole thing and he and a vet nurse tried and couldn’t do it and advised me to catch him “unawares at home” when he was less stressed! I would say as cats go he’s pretty dim his reactions always seem slow and lumbering but he had no intention of being “caught unawares” when it comes to worming pills/paste and his reactions are lightening speed and his claws are lethal!
He doesn’t through choice eat anything but dried cat food and water so I can’t give him a treat or disguise it in cat food.
He’s a pedigree cats and I suspect inbred he suffers from lots allergies including in the past an allergic reaction to spot on flea treatments so I can now only use one brand.

I was going to suggest spot on wormer but that may not suit

I thought this but he can’t have a spot on wormer because he has in the past had allergic terrible skin problems.

Wrap a large towel around the cat - we call it the cat burrito manoeuvre - so that all legs are contained. Hold burrito cat under your arm and pop pills in mouth with your free hand. Job done! They will not thank you after this, sleep with one eye open for at least a week afterwards!

Could you use the liquid stuff and wrap him in a cat burrito before administering it

Tried that as did the vet not a chance you can’t even get him near a towel without loosing your hand. I’m not exaggerating he turns into a spitting growling clawing vicious fiend it’s like wrapping a small tiger in a towel I had no idea how strong he is! The vet was stunned he’s a rag doll cat to say he’s normally placid is an understatement.

He’s always been tricky but since he’s been neutered it’s becoming impossible.

I used to put bits of pill into a bit of webbox stick. Does he not eat any treats?

Mine used to have Milbemax tablets, as like you, I found the Drontal tablets too big. Milbemax are tiny and they took them well.

No he won’t eat any treats I’ve tried ham chicken cod smoked salmon tuna those cat treat things, butter milk cream cat milk and wet cat food he won’t even look at it. He used to very occasionally lick round DHs porridge bowl after he’d finished it but he now has a wheat free gluten free diet.
I have tried wearing leather gauntlets to wrap him in a towel but he so bloody fast and furious and the gloves stop you doing it quick enough and lashes out at you face.
I’ve wormed 700kg horses that are going banana easier than this cat!

*Toddlerteaplease” that’s interesting I’ll look them up are they as good as drontal? I agree the size of drontal does help its like me having a tea plate stuffed down my throat and the fact he has to have 1 1/2. The first one is bad enough by the second one he’s not running away he’s coming at me!

This is him he doesn’t exactly look like a lean mean killing machine!

I think they are as good as drontal. They are small enough to put in a pill syringe thing and Got them down them that way.

My vet had to order it in as they didn't stock it.

Mine used to get milbemax before they got profender spot on instead. Think they were red and meat flavoured

Does he actually go out?.

Only into my court yard garden nothing else can get in and I do have a dog who’s wormed and deflead.
The vet says I should worm him monthly I don’t I worm him every three months. Now I’ve got him on the right food that he’s not allergic too he looks positively refulgent his fur is really thick and glistens and he’s put on loads of weight (hence 1 1/2 tablets). I struggle to believe he’s worm ridden.
In the horse world we’ve stopped shoving wormers endlessly down horses necks it causes resistant problems you target worms by collecting stool specs. When I queried why monthly worming and what about resistance issues with the vet he looked at me like I was a negligent owner.

You know I’d balance the distress caused by the actual likelihood of him getting worms.

Does he catch things?.

What like birds? You must be joking he’s really very dim, worming tablets aside he’s really sweet tempered, no hunting instinct oh and he can’t jump.

@Bkueeyedcat

Only into my court yard garden nothing else can get in and I do have a dog who’s wormed and deflead. The vet says I should worm him monthly I don’t I worm him every three months. Now I’ve got him on the right food that he’s not allergic too he looks positively refulgent his fur is really thick and glistens and he’s put on loads of weight (hence 1 1/2 tablets). I struggle to believe he’s worm ridden. In the horse world we’ve stopped shoving wormers endlessly down horses necks it causes resistant problems you target worms by collecting stool specs. When I queried why monthly worming and what about resistance issues with the vet he looked at me like I was a negligent owner.

What do you use as flea treatment as some of them also treat worms? Mine gets stronghold plus monthly (treats fleas and some worms) and then profender every 6 months as that treats the worms not covered by stronghold (tapeworm maybe)

I think mice are more likely culprits. If he’s got no prey drive and the dogs wormed surely the risk is lower?.

Bravecto every three months. He’s allergic to flea treatment, his hair falls out and his skin breaks.

Not a chance he’ll catch a mouse if we have any which I doubt he’d peer at them in a slightly gornless they’d laugh at him! That’s what the birds do.

You can get Drontal XL tablets for the larger fat cat - 4kg and upwards. Normal Drontal is for up to 4kg, and there's not a chance in hell that I can get a half tablet into the bigger cat.

Cats get worms from eating their mice / birds, so if he's an indoor cat only, or a completely useless hunter, then I'd take the path of least resistance and just not worm him. If he only goes out into a courtyard, and your dog is wormed etc, then I'd do that. You can always keep him in every now and then and inspect his poo to see if there's any worm segments in it vom.

I worm the 'kitten' every month as she catches and eats 1-2 mice each night (I do feed her honest!) but the bigger older cat I only do every 3m or so as he doesn't hunt any more.

Both are absolutely pains to worm though, it's a 2 person job, one person holds the front paws down, the other pins the cat between their knees, wrenches the jaws of death open and shoves the pill down. Simultaneous release of angry cat afterwards. Tried the burrito cat method - yeah, we didn't try that one again...

Milbemax are def smaller and easier. Our vet suggested coating tablet in butter then if you can get it to back of throat it just slides down especially if you can to hear right back, can use the pill tweezers with Milbemax to get them to right spot.