Best Over the Counter Cat Dewormer
Parasites like worms are very frustrating to deal with as they can deeply affect the health of our beloved pet cats. Cats are prone to three types of worms: tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms. Any of these worms could reduce your cat’s appetite; lead them to have attitude changes, and even intestinal problems. We would recommend you have a read of our best non tracking cat litter, as this will help you cat, but let's get back to finding out the best over the counter cat dewormer:
Over the Counter Cat Dewormer Comparison Table
| Product Name | Feeding Directions | Minimum Cat Age Usage | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vet Recommended - Ringworm Treatment for Cats | The Vet Recommended ringworm for cats treatment makes two 16oz spray bottles of cat ringworm formulation. Simply add concentrate to empty bottle and fill with clean tap water. | No minimum age | Click Here |
| Prolabs Feline Tapeworm Tabs | The tablets may be given directly in the mouth or crumbled and mixed with the food. | 6 weeks | Click Here |
| Naturpet D Wormer | Simply place deworming drops on your pet’s food | 0-25 lbs: 1 ml 26-50 lbs: 2 ml 51-75 lbs: 3 ml Over 76 lbs: 4 ml | Click Here |
| HomeoPet Wrm Clear | Dose remedy directly into mouth | kittens less than 1 lb: 2 drops in 8 oz water kittens: 5 drops per dose adults: 10 drops per dose | Click Here |
| Bayer Tapeworm Dewormer for Cats | May be given directly in the mouth or offered crumbled and mixed with a small amount of food. | 6 weeks | Click Here |
For ringworms, Vet Recommended has a treatment that relieves your cat’s suffering instantly, upon contact. It is very strong that you might worry at first if it will have any strong side effects on your poor cat, but there is nothing to worry about since Vet Recommended features an all-natural formula that is non-toxic, biodegradable, eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, and water soluble.
pH levels reach only 1 on the scale, which means it is very safe on the skin of humans and cats. It is just tough on ringworms. Upon contact, your cat will be relieved of the unbelievable itch and discomfort that ringworms bring. It would bring you bring comfort as the cat owner, too, seeing the ringworm-infested parts de-flame. With the help of good shampoo and a balanced diet, your cat may regain its full healthy coat in no time. It comes with a spray bottle, but smaller kittens would prefer gentle dabbing with cotton buds.
Pros
- Will save you a lot of money in veterinarian fees.
- Easy to mix the concentrate.
- Relieves itch upon contact – instant reduction of discomfort is observable.
- All-natural formula is good for your cat’s health, as well as the environment.
Cons
- Not advisable for severe case of ringworm – seek veterinary help.
The first one is an external medicine that relieves itch instantly. On the contrary, Prolabs Feline Tapeworm Tabs is supposed to be ingested by your cat so it could get to the bottom of the tapeworm problem. It is very tricky to make your cat eat this, so what you could do is to sneak it into your cat’s meal. If it helps to crush it to effectively camouflage it on your cat’s meal, then so be it.
Even if ingested medicine usually works a lot slower than applied medicine, a significant reduction in tapeworm could already be observed within 24 hours of feeding this to your cat. Safe to say, you would not be sparing yourself the huge cost of going to the veterinarian, which you nor your cat enjoys, anyway. 2 pills administered should be enough for large and fully-grown cats. Mask it with food that has a strong aroma.
Pros
- Effective deworming within 24 hours.
- The pills are small enough to be crammed into your grown cat’s throat.
- For kitties, you always have the option of crushing the pills and mixing them with regular treats, hoping the kitties won’t notice.
- Effect lasts for months.
Cons
- Finicky eaters may end up throwing this up.
Smaller cats may not take too well to being force-fed tablets and pills. For them, the best over the counter cat dewormer is a liquid administered one such as the Naturpet D Wormer. With an enclosed dropper, you wouldn't run into any trouble administering it even to a younger cat. It efficiently gets rid of almost all types of worms both on suffering cats and dogs.
The digestive tract is the one system that suffers most from an infestation of worms, so the Naturpet D Wormer works hard on restoring the digestive system to its full health upon contact. If your cat still would not drink this over the counter dewormer straight from the dropper, you still have the option to simply drop the prescribed dosage to your cat’s usual meal. It is still a much better situation than having to deal with messy pills and tablets that may end up ignored and un-ingested.
Pros
- Made from natural herbs that help your cat restore its full health.
- Appropriate to use for all ages of dogs and cats.
- Fast relief – within a few weeks from the first treatment!.
- Comes with a dropper that makes administering the medicine easier.
Cons
- Does not smell that good, cats may still detect them even when mixed with food.
- Has a bitter taste.
Most medicines and pills are troublesome for pregnant and lactating cats, but that’s not the case for the HomeoPet Wrm Clear. This one is so gentle that pregnant and early mothers could be treated without any repercussions on the health of the pregnant cat and even its unborn litter. The liquid homeopathic formula is very easy to dose, too.
Why is it gentle enough even for pregnant cats, you ask? To explain, the HomeoPet Wrm Clear does not actually kill worms. What it does is so much gentler – it simply creates small changes in your cat’s skin, making it unsuitable for worms to live and thrive in. Eventually, worms will discontinue surviving in the kind of environment fabricated by the HomeoPet Wrm Clear, therefore getting rid of the worms in a completely safe way. One session of treatment with HomeoPet could last your cat for at the very least two months.
Pros
- No overwhelmingly strong chemicals that could cause your cat more harm than good.
- Safe for young kittens and even pregnant cats.
- Lasts for the whole life cycle of worms.
- Effective in getting rid of almost all types of worms.
Cons
Another best over the counter cat dewormer as far as tapeworms are concerned is the Bayer Tapeworm Dewormer for Cats. It is more convenient than a trip to the veterinarian that nobody enjoys, but you do have to work hard to make your picky cats swallow these three pills. One choice you’ve got is crushing it and mixing it with cat food. It requires work, but you’d be saving a whole lot more rather than making the unnecessary trip to the vet.
24 hours is all it takes for these pills to work their magic – no more worms after the first pill! You do have to finish treating your cat, though, even when you can no longer see worms after administering the first pill. You have to make sure you've got the whole lot of them. When treating kittens, make sure you treat the mother, too, for a worm-free household, no matter how many cats you've got!
Pros
- Quick action – no more worms after the first pill.
- One treatment session lasts for months on end.
- Safe to use even for small kittens.
- A lot cheaper than what your average veterinarian charges for a simple deworming.
Cons
- It is in pill form, so you have got to come up with creative ways to make your cat ingest it.
Important Points To Consider
1. Identify what kind of worm bothers your cat: Medicines are only good for one type of worms, so if you could identify first, you’d be saving a lot of money. The Internet provides all sorts of assistance in identifying worm types. Alternatively, go for dewormers that work like a charm with all worm types.
2. Consider the medicine type: Obviously, liquid medicine is easier to administer than pills/tablets. If you have smaller/younger cats, liquid medicine is the way to go. However, tablets could also be dissolved in water and administered through drops.
3. The gentler, the better: We have all heard of horror stories about over the counter medicines killing pets instead of relieving them from pain. You don’t want this to happen, so start treating your cat with the gentlest medicine you could get your hands on first. If it does not work, then that’s the only time you switch to stronger ones.
4. Check safety precautions: Are you treating a pregnant cat or a very young kitten? Check first if the medicine you’ve got is safe for the age and condition of your kitty.
However, just because your cat seems healthy on the outside doesn’t mean their tummies are already worm-free. If your cat constantly goes outdoors, chances are it already has a number of worms.
Health first
To end, our cats’ health should not be taken lightly. Note that the over the counter cat dewormers mentioned above would only work effectively if worms bother your cat. Otherwise, you may fail to relieve your cat from its actual condition. If you cannot be absolutely sure that worms are the ones bothering your cat, then a visit to the veterinarian may still be the wisest thing to do first. Do not take risks when it comes to your cat’s health!
