Almost all cats have worms at one point or the other in their lives. However, that doesn’t mean that intestinal parasites should be ignored. Some animals can suffer such severe infestations that several of their organs, not just their digestive tract, are affected.
In fact, many worms can migrate to organs such as the liver, the lungs, and even the heart. Drontal cat worming tablets can be used to fight intestinal worms in our feline companions.
In this post, we’ll look at how long Drontal for cats takes to work, but we’ll also answer some other questions that you might have about this deworming treatment.
Drontal for Cats – How long does it take to work?
Contents
The vast majority of wormers currently available and that includes Drontal for cats, take 1-2 days to work. What does this mean for you? It means that you’re going to start larvae and adult worms being eliminated in your cat’s feces in 1-2 days after you’ve administered the treatment.
What I’d like to note here is that the breeding cycle of intestinal parasites in cats depends on the exact type of worm your cat has.
For example, roundworms (such as Toxocara cati or Toxascaris leonina) have a breeding cycle of 7 to 10 days, which is why a second dose of Drontal is necessary about a week after the first one.
If your cat has tapeworms (some of the most common ones being Taenia taeniaeformis and Dipylidium caninum), you will have to repeat the dose around 2 weeks after the first one.
Why is this necessary? Well, the first dose usually kills the adult worms inside your cat’s intestines, but many (if not all) of the larvae and eggs are left behind.
This means that if you don’t give your cat the second dose, you risk being confronted with another parasite infestation just one to two weeks following the first treatment. I’ve seen this happen a lot while I was practicing, so please make sure that you write down the date you’ve given your cat the first dose, check the calendar, and make sure to repeat it.
Is Drontal better than other cat wormers?
Well, yes and no. It actually depends on what you want to give your cat against intestinal parasites. Before I move on to the actual explanation, I have to note that all pet parents (whether they care for dogs or cats) are advised to give wormers to their furry friends once every 3 months.
A single dose is usually necessary, but it’s highly recommended that you keep an eye on your pet’s feces to see whether there are any traces of worms there, be they full-size adults, eggs, or larvae.
As for the debate on whether Drontal is better than other wormers, I’ll say that I know for a fact that many veterinarians recommend it more than other products. The reason for this is that it contains two anthelmintic substances — pyrantel and praziquantel.
These two ingredients make it possible for Drontal to kill both tapeworms and roundworms, without you having to give your cat two different types of medications.
And let’s face it – you might want to skip on giving your cat too many pills, right? It’s not the easiest task in the world.
When can I first give my cat Drontal? What is the correct dose?
Any cat that receives a Drontal dose should be older than 6 weeks of age. Ideally, she should also weigh approximately 2kg (almost 4.5 pounds).
A cat that weighs 4.5 pounds should receive half of a film-coated tablet while one that weighs 9 pounds can get an entire one. You can calculate the right dosage either with the help of your veterinarian or by adding half a tablet for every additional 4.5 pounds of body weight.
Is Drontal safe?
The most important thing to keep in mind when deworming a cat (or a dog, for that matter) is to make sure that you use the right dose. If you give your cat an overdose, she might exhibit signs of intoxication and might require immediate medical assistance.
Another aspect that I have to add is that the adverse reactions can also depend on how severe the parasite infestation is. If your cat’s intestines are filled to the brim with worms, larvae, and eggs, you might notice some side effects.
The biggest problem, in this situation, would be for the adult parasites to die and not be released through the cat’s feces in their immense number. If that happens, their ‘corpses’ can release a number of toxins that can make your cat feel sick.
So, in this case, the cat wouldn’t exactly show side effects to the actual medication but rather to all the parasites dying at once and inside her body.
While Drontal isn’t usually associated with any side effects, especially if you give your feline friend the correct dose, some cats can experience diarrhea, vomiting, increased salivation, and a decrease or lack of appetite.
However, these symptoms usually last for less than 24 hours following which the cat returns to being herself.
DO NOT GIVE DRONTAL (or other worming products) to pregnant cats.
Always tell your vet if your cat is undergoing treatment with other pharmaceutical medications for possible chronic health problems so that the vet can choose the safest deworming product of all.
What if I can’t give pills to my cat?
Well, you’ll be happy to know that there are some things that you can do even in this case. There is a product made by the same brand, Bayer, and it’s called Droncit (unfortunately, I see that it’s currently available in the United Kingdom alone). It’s a spot-on solution that works for tapeworms.
If your cat has a ringworm infestation, however, you will have to use a different spot-on product, or you’ll have to make an effort and give your cat a pill. In Europe, there’s a spot-on solution that’s quite popular, especially for young cats, and it goes by the name Stronghold.
The North America equivalent would be Revolution, but I haven’t managed to find it up for sale at any online marketplaces at the time I’m writing this post.
This post contains affiliate links on some of the images. You can support this blog by trying out the products recommended in this article.
Hi, I gave my cat her first dose of Drontal (half the pill, she’s only 2kg and about 4 months old). However, a week later and the worms still keep coming out of her.
Does this mean that the first dose didn’t work or is it normal for some worms to survive? It was given by a vet so I’m confident the pill was given correctly.
I’m supposed to give 2 more doses, all two weeks apart (one the next weekend, and then one two weeks after that). My worry is that it doesn’t work since I still see the worms, and I’d like to know what to do next.
Thank you!
Hi Jane!
There are several different stages of worms, some are complete adults, others have just hatched, and there are larvae and eggs, too.
Your vet recommended 3 doses specifically because they want to be sure that all of the worm forms are going to be decimated. It’s almost impossible for the first dose to kill the eggs, too – it kills the majority of the adults. But a week or two later, there are other worms that mature from the eggs – so a second dose is mandatory. It your cat has cestodes, the doses will be repeated at 12-14 days from one another. If your cat has nematodes, they will be repeated at 7-10 days from one another.
There’s no need to worry if you see worms in your cat’s feces after the first dose. If it happens after the third, perhaps a fecal exam and a different wormer might work.
But even then there’s no need to worry as worms aren’t as bacteria – they can’t develop antibiotic resistance. A correct treatment usually exists for most species.
Try panacur oral paste is a 3-day course it covers a different types of tapeworm and is very safe for youge kittens and not as strong as drontal
Panacur is not specifically made for cats, so its use in this species is ‘off label’. I do NOT recommend it for young kittens, in particular, since they are especially sensitive to sustaining liver damage when given anti-parasitic medication.
Hello, I dosed my cat one time for tapeworms and I see you recommend dosing a second time after 14 days. Do I need to dose a third time as well? Thank you.
Hi there. A third dose is typically unnecessary unless you see eggs, larvae, or adult worms in your cat’s feces even about a week after the second dose.
Dewormers are usually liver-toxic and so vets try to avoid the 3rd dose if at all possible or recommend liver support meds during that period.
As for your question, a second dose is definitely necessary if your cat has worms. If this is a routine deworming, you should just pay attention to your cat’s feces for 1-2 days after the dose. However, if your cat also goes outdoors, 2 doses are almost always needed as the likelihood of her getting internal parasites from other animals is increased.
Cristina, thank you for the quick response! I had adopted a cat a little over a month ago and he had many, MANY fleas. Not sure if he was an outdoor cat, but he is now fully indoor. I have successfully contained the flea situation, but saw little tapeworm eggs falling out of his butt thus why i gave him the wormer. Appreciate the advice, I will give him the second dose. thank you again
You’re most welcome! Happy I could help 🙂
Hi, my cat seems to have a lot of worms, can I give him 1 pill 2 days in a row? or is it only intended to be a single pill for treatment and then repeated later. Just curious if more than one would speed things up or hurt him.
Thanks,
Mary
Hi there!
It actually depends on the wormer you have purchased, but in most cases, it is not recommended that you give your cat two doses on two days in a row. And the reason for this is that most anti-parasitic medications out there are liver-toxic, so you would be putting a lot of strain on your cat’s hepatic health if you were to do that.
If you can’t talk to your vet because maybe you don’t have one or any pet insurance, please comment with a photo or link to the product so that I can have a look at the active substance in it and give you clear advice.
But just so you know, for nematodes (thin, long worms), you should repeat the dose at 7-10 days and for cestodes (meaning the flat ones like Taenia), you should repeat the dose at 12-14 days after the first.
Let me know if I can be of more assistance!
Cristina