Is deworming safe for my 19-year-old cat who just gained weight?

Just about all veterinary approved dewormers are safe to use in debilitated or elderly cats; however I would recommend either Pyrantel Palmoate OR Fenbendazole . If you were looking for more herbalistic product recommendations, then I highly recommend sticking with what works and is well tested. A lot of the all natural dewormers either don't work or are really harsh on the system, especially in cats, so I can't recommend using any of these.

Many deworming products are not recommended once pregnancy is established. Tapeworm medications, in particular, can be quite toxic. If you are concerned that your cat has parasites, I recommend that you take a fecal sample to your veterinarian for examination. Your vet can identify the eggs of any parasites your cat may have using a test called a fecal float exam. S/he can then prescribe the safest, most effective dewormer to use in a pregnant cat for that particular parasite.

Generally speaking adult cats tend to be less sensitive to G.I. parasites and kittens. Also for many G.I. parasites they have to be passed in the feces and then spend a certain amount of time maturing before they become re-infective. So if you do a good job of cleaning the litter box frequently there's a lower risk of infection to your adult cat. If your adult cat is on a monthly heartworm preventative many of them also include a deworming medication. There are over-the-counter deworming medications you could consider giving to both cats however it's not guaranteed to clear all possible G.I. parasites. you could also discuss with your veterinarian about your inability to get a fecal sample and if they would be willing to just give a broad-spectrum deworming medication to your kitten.

Unfortunately those types of dewormers are all prescription only, and it depends how sick is your cat as well, if he is very ill i would recommend not giving him any dewormers unless you are 100% positive he has worms. the best dewormers on the market are Profender (spot on), Drontal and milbemax.

Most OTC dewormers are safe to use as long as you follow package directions. Confirm the product can be used for cats first. Ideally, you should speak with your vet prior to administering any medication to a pet.

Piperazine is safe to give to cats, and you can give the Pro-Sense deworming treatment to Ella. It's not my favorite deworming treatment for cats, I like Panacur and Drontal, both of which you can get from your vet. Her respiratory rate is normal, but it is concerning she is acting a little weak. A heavy worm burden would cause her to lose some weight and be a little lethargic, but I wouldn't be too concerned yet she has FeLV. You would see other signs such as persistent diarrhea, anemia, lethargy, enlarged lymph nodes, and progressive weight loss among others. If you are concerned about Ella having FeLV, I would speak to your vet about running blood tests to see if she does have anemia, and possibly doing a bone marrow aspirate. I hope this helps!

The medication in Vermox syrup is mebendazole, which should not affect the kidneys. I would assume that the tapeworm injection was praziquantel which also should not affect the kidneys (praziquantel is not effective against roundworms).