# Treating for round worms in feral colony



## lyle

I brought one of the "garage cats" (feral) into the vet the other day to treat a wound. In the course of the checkup it was discovered that he has round worms. He was given pills for the worms and already gets Revolution. Everything is cool so far.

Here's the question/problem.

He lives with 3 other "garage cats", at least two of which are almost impossible to get near, let alone re-trap. The vet said that if one garage cat has worms they will all have worms (become reinfected) unless all are treated.

I am led to understand that the only effective treatment is pill/liquid administered by mouth. Under the circumstances the treatment will, in all likelihood, have to be maintained indefinitely.

It is also unlikely that I will be able to give oral medication to 4 feral cats on an ongoing basis.

Any thoughts/suggestions for treating round worms in a feral colony?

Thanks.


----------



## BotanyBlack

sprinkle their food with food grade diatomaceous earth. its not a chemical treatment but does help with deworming. Just make sure it is food grade not agricultural grade and does not have bait added.

Daily recommended food grade diatomaceous earth feeding rates:

Kittens - 1/2 teaspoon 
Cats - 1 teaspoon 
Puppies - 1/2 to 1 tsp. 
Dogs under 35 lbs. - 1 teaspoon 
Dogs over 35 lbs. - 1 tablespoon 
Dogs over 100 lbs. - 2 tablespoons

obviously you don't have to use this much every day


----------



## Greenport ferals

Lyle, I treated four new ferals for roundworms with Strongid, a liquid. I had never even heard of it. I mixed it into their wet food and they didn't mind the taste at all. With Strongid, you have to re-treat in 10 days.


----------



## lyle

Thanks. I'll give both a try. I was led to believe by the vet that the vet prescribed meds were so awful tasting that they were difficult to administer.

I am routinely amazed at how little the treatment of these problems has progressed, particularly with regards to ferals. It does little good in my opinion to TNR a cat/cats and then have to stand by somewhat helplessly as they succumb to some aliment that is relatively easy to treat in house cats. I understand that the incentive $$$ is not there, just bitchin'.

Poor Joker (the afflicted cat) looks like he has a new life. I'm guessing that he had worms all of his two years of life and they were finally starting to get to him. He actually approaches me now for head scritches, something he never did before. I almost believe that he knows that I was trying to help him.

I also understand that, as ferals, worms will be a constant problem. To that end, I'm trying to do things along a preventive, rather than a reactive i.e. treatment line. I would add that any vet/vet tech who puts two pills down the throat of a feral cat has earned my admiration and more than earned their fee.


----------



## Whaler

in the past i have used panacur-c. it seems to work well but the issue is making sure everyone eats all of their dose for 3 straight days and then for 3 more days after 2 weeks have passed.

with the one cat that lets me handle him (to a degree) i have been able to give him dontral when i put it in a pill pocket. the dontral worked very well when he had tapeworm.

i am going to start giving them diatomaceous earth and see how it goes. you can see from the dosage instructions that BotanyBlack posted you don't use much so it is a really cheap option.




lyle said:


> I would add that any vet/vet tech who puts two pills down the throat of a feral cat has earned my admiration and more than earned their fee.


agreed! there is a vet at the hospital that has no fear, she just sticks her hand in the trap and grabs the feral like it was nothing. all the while i sit in the corner and cower in fear.


----------



## lyle

*Chicken/Turkey and "Dirt"*

So far, so good. I got hold of some dia-earth and have been mixing it in with their Friskies.

We call it "Chicken & Dirt".

Joker retains his past (worm) appetite. I'm worried that he'll be 30 lbs in a few more weeks if he doesn't slow down.


----------



## BotanyBlack

Good luck on preventative measures 

The good thing about DE is it is not a poison and passes right on through with out some of the side affects of constant dosing. The one side affect I have noticed is that the trace minerals the cats do retain from it makes them have pretty glossy coats. And if sprinkled on bedding can help control fleas.


----------



## sandyrivers

Hi,

BotanyBlack, thank you for the advice! 

I too have some ferals that need treatment, I will be looking into this, I had never heard of it before!

thanks

sandyrivers


----------

