Does my indoor cat need flea and tapeworm prevention? How often?

An indoor cat with no exposure should be dewormed at least every 6 months. He may not go outdoors, but you do and it is possible small mammals, namely rodents, may find their way inside the house. A topical flea and tick preventative should be used monthly all year round. Alternatively, you could use it during the Spring, Summer and Fall months.

Indoor cats are less likely to get fleas but it does happen. If you have other pets in the house, the risk increases. It's up to you if you want her on treatment or not. Yes, she does need to be tested for worms, Felv/FIV and she needs to be current on her FVRCP (it's like a cat distemper). YOu can carry things like viruses in on your clothes. The vaccine is highly effective and safe. I hope this helps.

Roundworms, hookworms and whipworms are common in the outside environment. If he does not go outside at all then the chances of him having these are slim to none UNLESS you have other pets that go outside because they can certainly bring the worm eggs into the house on their feet. As for tapeworms, the only way they get those is by eating fleas that contain the infected larvae. It is possible for fleas to get inside your house especially if you live in a warm climate so I would suggest monthly flea prevention even if he does not go outside.

I recommend you take some of the worms for a formal indentification by your vet in order to determine the species and likely source (fleas or small mammals) so as to guide the most effective prevention. I wold recommend oral or long acting spot on flea treatment and also an insecticidal household flea spray to reduce any flea eggs or larvae. Tapeworm medications will only kill the adult worms inside the cat at anyone time and do not prevent reinfection but I wold not recommend treating any more than monthly

Hi and thanks for your post! Yes, it is recommended that even indoor cats be on flea preventative. The reason for this is fleas can find ways into your home and even hitch a ride on you! It only takes one flea to induce a flea allergy and cause an infestation eventually so it is better to prevent. Dealing with fleas on your pet and in your house can be a real headache. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there. While it's not ideal to delay her next scheduled dose of medication for deworming and flea prevention, this doesn't normally cause any major problems. Especially for an indoor-only cat, as her risk of exposure to these things is fairly low. it's possible that she may pick up some fleas or parasites in the meantime after her most recent dose stops working, but as long as you give the next dose as soon as you're able to, that should get things back on track. :)

Once tapeworms and the accompanying fleas are treated, the tapeworms shouldn't come back. Cats get tapeworms from eating infected fleas while grooming, though I would recommend a repeat treatment in 3-4 weeks just to be sure. I start vaccinating kittens between 6-8 of age, so now is the perfect time to start. I would recommend starting as soon as possible to make sure that she is adequately protected. Kittens get boosters every 3-4 weeks until 1 shot after 16 weeks of age.