Does My Indoor Cat Need Deworming Too?

Why Does a Cat Need Deworming Even When It Stays at Home?

Today's pet cats, no longer tasked with catching mice, are cherished and cuddled by their owners day in and day out. One might think that a home environment, being a seemingly enclosed and safe space, would eliminate the need for deworming. However, this is not the case.

Even within the confines of the home, cats can still come into contact with external elements through various means, such as:

Human footwear, outerwear, and pants legs (the most common)

Accidental ingestion of insects like cockroaches

Sewers, air conditioning outlets

Unclean water sources

Waterfilled flower pots

Especially in recent years, with the popularity of raw meat diets, the incidence of parasitic diseases in cats has been on the rise. These contacts, often as minute and unseen as bacteria and viruses, are often overlooked.

Common Parasites in Cats

Internal parasites: Roundworms, Coccidia, Tapeworms, Flagellates, Giardia, Toxoplasma, and Heartworms

External parasites: Fleas, Ticks, Lice, and Mange Mites

How to Deworm a Cat

With the advancement of veterinary medicine, deworming medications for cats have seen significant technological innovations. These can now be safely applied at home with transdermal agents and highly effective, safe deworming drugs, eliminating the need for a trip to the vet. This is especially convenient, as taking a cat out can be quite an endeavor.

Deworming is generally categorized into three types: internal, external, and both internal and external.

Internal Deworming: This requires oral administration and is typically done every 23 months, but for households that frequently feed raw meat, the interval should be shortened to once a month. Commonly used medications include Panacur and Baytril.

External Deworming: Simply apply a few drops of the liquid directly onto the skin, usually once a month. A popular choice is Advocate.

Comprehensive Deworming: Most are in the form of drops, applied in the same way as external deworming, and are generally done once a month. A popular choice for this is Revolution.

The principle is that the active ingredients in the medication can enter the bloodstream through the skin, so even though it's applied topically, it can still act systemically against parasites.

Administering internal deworming medication can be challenging. The key is to be quick and decisive! Quickly place the medication in the cat's mouth, close its mouth, and tilt its head slightly for a few seconds to ensure it has swallowed.

If necessary, you can crush the medication and mix it with the cat's favorite treats or canned food.

External deworming drops are straightforward. Grab the cat by the nape of its neck, pull back the fur, and apply a drop to the skin. This significantly reduces the difficulty of deworming your cat.

How Deworming Medications Work

For external deworming, the active ingredient in the drops is often selamectin, a broadspectrum dewormer that can act against multiple types of parasites. It has strong lipophilic properties, meaning it binds well with the skin's natural lipid layer. After application, it spreads to the sebaceous glands in the skin follicles and slowly releases into the surface, providing longlasting protection. Once it reaches the surface, it causes excessive excitement and muscle spasms in insects, leading to their death, effectively preventing fleas and ticks on the cat's body.

For internal deworming, the active ingredient is praziquantel, another broadspectrum dewormer, primarily targeting tapeworms and schistosomes. Its mechanism of action is different from selamectin, but the result is the same: it causes the worms to become rigid and paralyzed, leading to their death.

Comprehensive deworming often uses macrolide antibiotics as the main or sole ingredient. Macrolide dewormers are mainly effective against external parasites and gastrointestinal nematodes, but not against flukes or tapeworms.

How Often Should Cats Be Dewormed?

According to the ESCCAP, deworming should be done at least every three months. However, cat owners can adjust the frequency based on their pet's specific circumstances:

If your cat often goes outside, such as for walks in the neighborhood or visits to dog and cat shelters, and its diet consists of raw meat or raw bones, it's advisable to deworm monthly.

If your cat regularly goes outside or occasionally has other pets visit the home, deworming every 12 months is recommended.

If your cat mostly stays indoors and there are no other pets visiting, deworming every 23 months is sufficient.

Newly adopted kittens, whether found or purchased, should be dewormed first. If the kitten was purchased, it's wise to inquire about its previous deworming history and the type of deworming medication used.

Getting rid of parasites in cats not only benefits their health but also reduces the transmission of zoonotic parasitic diseases, promoting the health of cat owners and their families.