My cat is skinny. What's the cost to check and treat for tapeworms?

Hi Sohelia. Your cat is very cute. Unfortunately, I cannot answer this question because we are simply a consultation website and Cannot prescribe any medication to you because we do not have a valid client patient relationship. I urge you to contact two or three veterinary clinics in your area to get a feel for what appropriate examination and treatment would cost. I’m sorry I can’t do more but I hope I have been able to point you in the right direction.

Poor Garfield! Tapeworms do not usually cause any significant weight loss or other symptoms in cats, so I would be very concerned that Garfield has a more serious problem. I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do some diagnostic testing (blood work and x-rays) if needed to help determine what's wrong, and will get him started on appropriate treatment depending on what is found.

Unfortunately there is no way for us to guess what kind of worm your cat has. It’s best to take him to your vet and have his stool checked to verify what kind of worm is present. Many worms can only be examined by the use of a microscope (hookworms, coccidia, whipworms). You can also examine his poop to see if you find any of the visible worms (roundworms, tapeworms). Some dewormers are also available over the counter at your local pet store. I hope you find out what kind of worm Wilkie has soon. Also it is a good idea to get him examined by your vet anyway since worms don’t usually cause a cat to have a decreased appetite. Best of luck to you and take care.

Intestinal parasites can be picked up from the environment. If this is a tapeworm you saw (looks similar to a grain of rice), fleas can transmit tapeworm to cats. I would recommend treating Venus with a product called Profender, which will treat intestinal parasites including tapeworm. I would also consider using a flea and tick preventative such as Revolution or Frontline. I would also consider bringing a stool sample to a veterinarian to help diagnose what kind of intestinal parasites these could be. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I agree that a heavy worm burden can cause what you’re describing. In fact, it is the most likely reason. You can try an over the counter cat dewormer from a pet store. Follow the directions exactly in terms of amount and number of treatments. Hopefully, that’s all it takes to get her feeling better. Unfortunately, there are other (much less common) things that can cause large belly, weight loss, and lethargy including: FIP, heart failure, liver failure, cancer, protein problems, etc. So, if the dewormer doesn’t help, you may have to decide if you’d want to take her to the vet for further testing or if you’d like her humanely euthanized, etc. Best wishes and thank you so much for taking care of this stray!

Your first picture looks potentially like a tapeworm proglottid (immature tapeworm), which are common in cats and are usually spread through fleas. Tapeworms do not usually cause many clinical signs however, and depending on Rainbow's age I'd be worried that something else might be causing her weight loss and poor/matted coat - hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid would be one possibility in an older cat. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian who can check a stool sample to help rule out other types of parasites and prescribe the correct deworming medication. They might also recommend checking blood work due to the other symptoms.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Most of the time when dewormers fail to help is because the right medication is not being used for the parasite to be treated. That is why it is crucial to have her evaluated by a veterinarian so that they can check a stool sample and determine which deworming medication may be best to treat this with. Only with the right medication she will improve and a veterinarian can help you determine that. Best of luck!