Q: Our cat keeps getting worms. We give him medication for worms
from the vet, but a few months later, the worms are back. Why is he
always infected? Is it because the medicine isn’t working?
Q: Our cat keeps getting worms. We give him medication for worms from the vet, but a few months later, the worms are back. Why is he always infected? Is it because the medicine isn’t working?
A: Many cat and dog owners ask this same question because this problem is found all over the world. And while it’s impossible for me to know exactly which worm is the culprit here, I’ll guess your kitty has tapeworm. This is the most common re-occurring worm parasite and it can be difficult to eradicate. But here are several rules to follow if you want to rid your kitty of this problem.
Be sure you are giving the proper dose of medication and make sure your kitty swallows all of it. If the worms are gone after the medication is given, chances are you are giving the right drug.
But the usual reason for recurrence of tapeworms is reinfection. It is easy for this parasite to re-enter your cat’s body. But even for this, there is a simple solution.
Tapeworms have an intermediate host in their life cycle, the flea. This means that fleas are an integral part in the transmission of tapeworm from one animal to another. They help transmit tapeworms from one animal to another. If there are fleas in your pet’s environment and you don’t eradicate them, tapeworm will re-occur again and again.
There are plenty of new flea control products available. Talk with your veterinarian about which one would be best suited for your situation. If you practice proper flea control, your worm problem will probably disappear.
Q: I have two 4-year-old cats with matted fur along their backs. I have tried to brush out these knots without any success. Should I try using a pair of scissors or do I need to take my cats to a groomer?
A: Besides looking bad, fur mats also can be painful to your kitties. They pull at the skin, causing some real discomfort. Even small mats are a problem, so they definitely need to be removed.
But don’t ever try to remove these with a pair of scissors! Fur mats are usually tightly bound to the skin and it is easy to cut the skin as you try to trim away that fur. Time and again, I have seen cats who have been inadvertantly injured by their well-meaning owner trying to cut off matted fur. Don’t even try to use scissors. They are to dangerous! Instead, use ordinary electric hair clippers and gently clip under the mat, approaching the base of the mat from all sides. Little by little, the fur will free up and fall away from just above the skin. And you won’t risk injuring your pet. Instead you’ll leave behind a short layer of fur and have a lot happier kitty-cat.
If you don’t have electric clippers and your cat tolerates bathing, you can try soaking the mats in warm water, then gently teasing them away from the skin with your fingers. This is sometimes painful, but it might work. Still, I prefer the clipper technique. You might want to invest in a hair clipper if matted fur is a recurring problem with your cat. This purchase would be less expensive in the long run, and less traumatic for your kitty. With your own clippers, you wouldn’t have to go to the groomers every few months for those nasty mats.
Q: I am doing a school project and need to know how many teeth are in a cat or a dog’s mouth. My mom says they have the same number. Is this true? My kitty won’t let me look in her mouth.
A: First, we should decide whether or not you are counting baby teeth or adult teeth, because the actual count changes as dogs and cats reach full maturity. But no matter which set of teeth we consider, dogs have more than cats in tooth category. So for the sake of discussion, let’s count the adult teeth. An adult kitty usually has a total of 30 teeth, while a mature dog tops that with 42. That’s a lot more than most people think. Now if we could just get them to smile for the camera!
Pete Keesling is a veterinarian at San Martin Veterinary Hospital and co-hosts Petpourri, a weekly show about pet health on KTEH in San Jose and a bi-weekly column for The Times. If you have any questions about pet care, please mail them to The Times, Attn: Vets, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
