Is there any way to de-worm a feral cat before catching?
May 15, 2013 3:19 AM Subscribe
A feral cat we're trying to catch, neuter and release is absolutely ravenous each time she comes to feed, 2-3 times per day. She's very small, yet she can easily eat more than two large cans of Science Diet (what we feed our indoor cat) along with a large portion of crunchies at each feeding. We've tried hiding a little crushed garlic in her food and she does get it down eating with such urgency, yet it hasn't seemed to help much. Besides being so hungry and small she has a sunken appearance around her hips. Last night she shrew herself at the screen door to reach food on its way to her, just inches away. She frequently comes when the raccoons are prowling around for leftovers as well as twice during daylight hours.
The vet can treat her when we catch her but this may be some time and she's obviously suffering.
The vet can treat her when we catch her but this may be some time and she's obviously suffering.
I would expect commercial cat worming tablets to be both safer and more effective than garlic.
posted by flabdablet at 3:31 AM on May 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 3:31 AM on May 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
Please, no garlic. It's toxic to cats.
posted by SillyShepherd at 3:38 AM on May 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by SillyShepherd at 3:38 AM on May 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
Can you explain the situation to a vet, get some deworming medication from them, and hide that in her food?
posted by MexicanYenta at 3:54 AM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by MexicanYenta at 3:54 AM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Thirding the no garlic. Garlic is VERY bad for cats, and if she's already sick, you're only making her worse!
posted by strixus at 3:54 AM on May 15, 2013
posted by strixus at 3:54 AM on May 15, 2013
Wait, please talk to a vet/qualified person before you try odd things yourself! As others have noted, garlic is toxic to cats, along with onions and other things.
Feral cats tend to overeat because they never know when they will have the next chance to eat. Two "large cans" of food plus a "large portion" of dry food is definitely too much. How do you know the cat does not throw up after a while from overeating?
I guess you expected the cat to gain weight? That might take way longer than you'd expect - there might be other underlying health issues - there might be worms - or simply the fact that s/he moves around a lot more than we realize.
It's not clear form your question if you know there are worms (some are fairly easy to spot, other types of parasites might require further testing to be detected).
Feral outdoor cats are likely to have ascarids and tapeworms, so you'd want to treat for those. There are deworming agents in liquid or pill form and as paste (example pills for tapeworms).
BUT: Deworming agents are poisons meant to poison the worm, not the cat. If there is an unexplained illness (like the "suffering" you refer to) it is not advisable to treat as the cat might be too weak to handle the toxin.
And for feral cats there is always the issue of re-infestation.
Please call your vet and ask them about treatment before you try anything yourself- they might provide the pill(s) and tell you what dosage to use. Good luck! May the kitty get healthy soon!
posted by travelwithcats at 5:12 AM on May 15, 2013
Feral cats tend to overeat because they never know when they will have the next chance to eat. Two "large cans" of food plus a "large portion" of dry food is definitely too much. How do you know the cat does not throw up after a while from overeating?
I guess you expected the cat to gain weight? That might take way longer than you'd expect - there might be other underlying health issues - there might be worms - or simply the fact that s/he moves around a lot more than we realize.
It's not clear form your question if you know there are worms (some are fairly easy to spot, other types of parasites might require further testing to be detected).
Feral outdoor cats are likely to have ascarids and tapeworms, so you'd want to treat for those. There are deworming agents in liquid or pill form and as paste (example pills for tapeworms).
BUT: Deworming agents are poisons meant to poison the worm, not the cat. If there is an unexplained illness (like the "suffering" you refer to) it is not advisable to treat as the cat might be too weak to handle the toxin.
And for feral cats there is always the issue of re-infestation.
Please call your vet and ask them about treatment before you try anything yourself- they might provide the pill(s) and tell you what dosage to use. Good luck! May the kitty get healthy soon!
posted by travelwithcats at 5:12 AM on May 15, 2013
If she's this ravenous and a regular visitor who gets close enough to hurl herself at your screen door, I don't think she'll be as hard to catch as you imagine if you use a humane feral cat trap. Many shelters loan them out as part of their TNR (trap, neuter and release) programs. If your area humane society lacks one, consider purchasing a trap (they're about $65 IIRC) and donating it after you're finished.
posted by carmicha at 5:23 AM on May 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 5:23 AM on May 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
I second Carmicha's suggestion. Borrow a "have a heart" trap and get the kitty to the vet.
And NO GARLIC. (just in case you didn't get the memo.)
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:44 AM on May 15, 2013
And NO GARLIC. (just in case you didn't get the memo.)
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:44 AM on May 15, 2013
One other thing... Kitten season peaks in late spring. You referred to this cat as "she" but do you really know whether it's female? If you think she might be pregnant, trap her now before she gives birth. If you think she might have already given birth, then you may wish to wait so she can raise her litter. The kittens will probably learn to come to your house for food and then you can trap them too. Again, consult a vet or your local humane society for advice.
posted by carmicha at 7:15 AM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by carmicha at 7:15 AM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
It could be worms or it could be an over-active thyroid. Either way, she needs to see a vet. Borrow a trap and get her seen but until you can do that, put some OTC worm treatment in her food.
posted by essexjan at 7:17 AM on May 15, 2013
posted by essexjan at 7:17 AM on May 15, 2013
Best answer: Yes kitten season is here and if she has sunken hip area it could be that she already had kittens and is starving from nursing them. This sounds a lot like what is going on with the cat who just had kittens in our backyard.
Just FYI the animal shelter told us to let the Mama raise the kittens for 6-8 weeks in our yard (since they are tucked in a safe spot) and then round them up and bring them in. The Mama will be neutered and returned to our yard/neighborhood and they will adopt out the kittens. So we are feeding Mama as much as she wants because nursing 6 kittens is tough work (I'm nursing one baby and I sympathize!!!!). Also she is drinking a ton of water.
So if I were you I'd watch where the cat goes and carefully hunt around for a pile of kittens somewhere close. Good luck!
posted by Swisstine at 9:16 AM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Just FYI the animal shelter told us to let the Mama raise the kittens for 6-8 weeks in our yard (since they are tucked in a safe spot) and then round them up and bring them in. The Mama will be neutered and returned to our yard/neighborhood and they will adopt out the kittens. So we are feeding Mama as much as she wants because nursing 6 kittens is tough work (I'm nursing one baby and I sympathize!!!!). Also she is drinking a ton of water.
So if I were you I'd watch where the cat goes and carefully hunt around for a pile of kittens somewhere close. Good luck!
posted by Swisstine at 9:16 AM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Garlic was only given once, about half a clove. There was never any time to prepare more as she's so eager to eat when she shows up. Here's a link to one of the many sites that suggest it, though we would not do it now after the resistance here. She seems healthy apart from being very thin and hungry. She's extremely active. The suffering I refer to is only her constant hunger.
We know all about TNR, have done it before and know it's the best option. She lives in deep woods and is very cagey about being followed. She's definitely far wilder than the other two ferals we've neutered. One of these we kept and the other we adopted out. This one seems to come from generations of feral-ness. Thanks for the help.
posted by R2WeTwo at 12:41 PM on May 15, 2013
We know all about TNR, have done it before and know it's the best option. She lives in deep woods and is very cagey about being followed. She's definitely far wilder than the other two ferals we've neutered. One of these we kept and the other we adopted out. This one seems to come from generations of feral-ness. Thanks for the help.
posted by R2WeTwo at 12:41 PM on May 15, 2013
Could you get an all-purpose dewormer like Drontal, crush it up and put it in her food?
Regarding traps--one trick to get kitties into a trap is to leave an unset trap by the feeding area. Then over time move the food closer and closer to the trap, then bit by bit inside the trap, then when the kitty is eating from the back of the trap set it. Kitty should be caught. Time consuming but gets around cagey cats.
posted by Anonymous at 5:27 PM on May 15, 2013
Regarding traps--one trick to get kitties into a trap is to leave an unset trap by the feeding area. Then over time move the food closer and closer to the trap, then bit by bit inside the trap, then when the kitty is eating from the back of the trap set it. Kitty should be caught. Time consuming but gets around cagey cats.
posted by Anonymous at 5:27 PM on May 15, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kellyblah at 3:28 AM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]