Outdoor Cats with Fleas and Worms

Updated on September 04, 2008
R.P. asks from Portland, OR
8 answers

We have 7 cats (I know it is a lot - we get a lot of flack about it, but otherwise these cats would be living on the street). Until moving to Portland they were indoor/outdoor, now we have them outdoor with garage access. They have nice bedding and access to food and water everyday, the garage has a loft, they typically are very happy cats. However, in the past week we have found they have fleas, lots of them. I bought some frontline on ebay and we are going to bomb the garage and get them new bedding, in the house we have Boraxed the floors. I don't know what to do about the worms though. I've heard that giving cats tobacco might get rid of them but read that the way it works is fairly violent for cats so I don't want to do that. Our old vet would allow us to bring in one cat and give medicine for rest of them (without giving us any lip-I think they were just glad we were taking care of these animals), I would like to find a vet that won't require seeing all 7 cats. We don't have the money for that. Does anyone know of a vet who might fit this description or does anyone have other ideas for killing tapeworms. Does anyone know any alternatives to bug bombs? We really would rather do things homeopathically. Any other ideas for our flea/worm situation would be appreciated.
Thanks Mamas

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Portland on

My brother uses Companion Pet Clinic on NE 82.
They cost much less than other vet clinic we've used. 3150 NE 82nd, Portland Their phone # is ###-###-####.

Dove Lewis Clinics also treats some animals for free. They're a not for profit clinic.

My daughter works for Banfield The Pet Hospital. I'll ask her if she has any other suggestions.

Do you know if you have to have a prescription? Years ago my father got deworming meds OTC.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.E.

answers from Portland on

Hey there R.,
Try Advantage- a similar product as Frontline but I believe it will also take care of worms (not sure what kind of worms you are talking of)
Some pet stores in the area carry it and most vets.
I have four cats and would have three times more if I had more land.
Hope it helps.
Also, do your cats do baths? You could bath them with a gentle cleanser to stir up the fleas.
L.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Portland on

Hi R.. I grew up on a farm and like my compatriot, we wormed all of our animals ourselves with wormer from the feed store. (My mom used to joke that she wormed puppies, kittens, horses and kids all once a year, every year. She used people wormer on us, just in case you were wondering.:-) I'm sure you can buy wormer online. Usually it is in little coated liquid caplets and you just give it like you give any other medication to your cat, i.e. down the throat.

I noticed no one has said anything about the fleas yet. Maybe none of us want to admit to fleas. I had them in my house. We adopted a dog from a shelter and soon we had them everywhere. We tried everything we could to get rid of them without chemicals, then with chemicals. After a month of a steadily worsening infestation, we finally called a pest control service. I think it was called A-1 Pest Control. It was a pretty serious fumigation, but it worked right away. When you are a self confessed neat freak and greenie like me, waking up to discover a flea in your bed makes you abandon your anti-pesticide stance pretty quickly. Embarrassing, but true. ;)

Good luck.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.M.

answers from Portland on

Hi R.,
I too have a few cats, dogs, kids........ I pick up the the feline tapeworm medicine at our feed store (Eagle Creek Feed Store ###-###-####. This feed store is located about 30 miles east of Portland. I hope that this will help you!
R.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.D.

answers from Portland on

You can buy worm meds online. Good luck!

L.,
mom of 4 cats

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.M.

answers from Portland on

I haven't had direct experience with the worms, but I grew up on a farm and we frequently had to worm some of our animals. I know that feed stores usually carry that kind of thing; they also usually carry vaccinations as well for people who know how to do it. I don't know where you live, but there is a feed store on SE Foster Rd. at about 103rd Ave. I'm sure there are others around the city that are closer to the rural areas.

You could call them in advance. But this would help significantly, because you wouldn't have to pay to see a vet at all.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.F.

answers from Portland on

Hi R.,

Meridian Park Family Vet. in Tualatin will prescribe medicine for worms without seeing the cats because they say there is only 1 type of worm you see outside the body, all the other worms are strictly internal. I had to get it for my outdoor kitty, I think it was around $20, hope this helps your kitty's!

A.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.S.

answers from Portland on

We have had a few litters of puppies and we wormed them ourselves. We bought the wormer at A to Z pets on about 148th and SE Division. They can answer all your questions too. I'm glad you're taking care of these cats. So many people don't! Good luck.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions