How often do cats need worming / flea treatment?

[TranquilWater]

I’m considering whether to sign up for a care plan for our 5-month-old kitten. It would be around 10 pcm and include worm/flea treatments, as well as next year’s vaccinations, if we stay on it. He’s already had his first two sets of jabs, and will be chipped soon. Does he need worm/flea treatments every month? I’m a first-time cat owner. Thanks for your help.

It depends on the products.

I have the vets care plan because it works out cheaper than paying for vaccines and good quality flea/wormer separately. I flea and worm every 3 months using the vets prescribed products & shes never had fleas or worms.

Btw you need to follow the rules when posting on the litter tray. A picture your fluff all must be included

Fluffball 🤦🏼‍♀️

It does depend on a couple of things. If he is going to be an indoor cat, then flea and worm treatments can be less frequent. However if he's going to go out, some different products give cats cover for a different length of time e.g. 1 month, 3 months or 6 months.

I would see which treatments your vet uses and do a bit of maths on whether it saves you any money remembering to add the cost of the annual jabs in. Also check whether your vet offers any other perks with the plan e.g. 10% off visits.

But whatever you do, don't go buying cheap stuff off the shelf! More and more fleas are getting resistant to treatments, and this can change from area to area, plus the prescription only treatments tend to be better. And in the worst case, some of the OTC treatments can actually be harmful to cats (not mentioning any names Bob Martin cough cough).

Mine doesn't get routine flea treatments - she's an indoor cat only and just doesn't need them.

She's also not dewormed on a schedule - She gets done once a year at the vets and is thriving so it's obviously working for her. Vet is happy with her and we're not contributing to the flea resistance.

But it'll be different if she went out.

Yep that's what I do with my indoor cats - only the one "just in case" dose when they have their annual MoT and jabs.

Thank you all for your tips and advice. After he’s been chipped next week, he won’t be an indoor cat, he’s already desperate to get outside, so I think I’ll need monthly treatments.

Mine gets monthly treatments.

It's a mistake to think just because your cat is indoors that they don't need flea treatments. Fleas travel on people's clothes, so people visiting your house or you visiting peoples houses can pick them up. I got an infestation from a bag of donated kids clothes.

Just because it hasn't happened, doesn't mean it won't.

Ours have a 6 monthly flea injection (and check-up) and quarterly worming tablets sent out by post automatically. Before we were on the scheme I had to remember to phone up and order the tablets every quarter then go to the vet, pay for them and pick them up, so this is much easier. I get a text when it’s time to book them in for their jabs. So even if there isn’t much cost saving its a lot easier.

Outside cat and she’s wormed and flead about 2 times a year. She’s never actually had fleas.

We do ours the first of every month for both.

But it does depend on the treatment. We like monthly because it is easy to remember. 1st of the month.

Where’s the cat tax?

I flea my cats every month and worm every other month.

I do check mine carefully for any signs. And the time I had a mouse invasion in the conservatory which they got rid of, I gave them an extra dose after that of course.

Yep my indoor master is the same.
A out door cat would be different, ask your vet what they would use and the cost / frequency ration and compare the prices

Worming every six months, fleas every month.