# Cats foaming when given worming tablets



## carpediem (Aug 15, 2015)

Hi all! I've got two cats - a 1 year old tortie-and-white called Noodles and a (almost) 10-month-old black kitten called Loki. I'm just a bit concerned about both of them re worming tablets.

I bought a pack of prazitel from vetuk a few months back, and found it really easy to give it to Loki - I just inserted in through the side of her mouth and massaged her neck and she'd swallow it. I did this once a month for about 3 months, and never had any difficulties giving her pills. Noodles, however, was a completely different story. As soon as the prazitel touched her mouth, she started foaming terribly - I've had a dog with epilepsy before and it looked very similar to one of his epileptic fits minus the convulsions. I washed her mouth as best as I could and never gave her prazitel again.

After 3 months, I decided to take them to the vet, and they got given milbemax which seemed to agree with them both. The vet advised that since they're both indoor cats, they would only have to be wormed once every 3 months. It's been 3 months now so it's time for their next round of pills, but since I'm visiting my folks for a few months (and I brought the cats with me) I can't exactly go round to see the vet 200 miles away, and the local vet is charging an exorbitant amount just to worm them once (he wouldn't even give me a prescription even though my parents have 3 dogs registered with him). So I bought some drontal tablets instead, hoping it might be more agreeable for Noodles even though it's got the same ingredients as prazitel.

However, this time, I had immense difficulty with Loki instead. She instinctively seemed to know the tablet wasn't going to agree with her and I should've paid more attention when she kept trying to get away (which she never does) because when I tried to give her the drontal, she started foaming around the mouth exactly like Noodles would with the prazitel! So again I stopped, and washed her mouth (she's fine now, a little shaken though - she's currently kneading my lap with those sharp little claws of hers!). Then I rubbed a bit of the pill on Noodles' mouth to see if she'd foam but she was fine with it and actually took the pill brilliantly - I put it in through the side of her mouth, massaged her throat, and she swallowed it without a fuss (which is a first).

I don't mind spending £5 once every 3 months to get them both wormed by the vet, but since I have about a year's supply of prazitel and drontal, I was wondering if it might be worth continuing with prazitel for Loki and drontal for Noodles? I've called the local vet for advice on this, but without much luck - our regular vet also refuses to give any advice unless I bring them in, which will be impossible to do for a few months!

Also (purely out of curiosity - sorry if it's a stupid question!) why do the pills cause so much foaming? I know both pills are quite bitter, but I would've expected the cats to either tolerate both brands or not take either brand, especially since they have exactly the same ingredients, so why is it that one brand causes foaming in one cat and is fine for the other?


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

The best way to give cats tablets is to hold their head, open their mouth and place it at the back of their tongue so they swallow and its gone. if you put it in the front from the side and they don't swallow straight away, it will be dissolving and probably has a horrible taste so the cat starts foaming. Some cats are much easier to dose than others but the quicker you can do it, the less stressful it is for the cat.

http://icatcare.org/advice/how-give-your-cat-tablet


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

_Also (purely out of curiosity - sorry if it's a stupid question!) why do the pills cause so much foaming? I know both pills are quite bitter, but I would've expected the cats to either tolerate both brands or not take either brand, especially since they have exactly the same ingredients, so why is it that one brand causes foaming in one cat and is fine for the other?_

You have two different cats and two different types of pill! The pills may have the same active ingredients but might have different surface coverings. I believe the foaming is in part a stress reaction.


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## Jannor (Oct 26, 2013)

Can you coat them with something first? Like lick-e-lix, butter, the tuna paste (like Shippams). Depends what they like.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

My cats are indoor only and my vet is happy to worm them just once a year. Therefore they get a Milbemax given by the vet at their annual checks - job done! :Happy


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## carpediem (Aug 15, 2015)

I tried to give the cats their pill the proper way initially, but found it really difficult. I live alone so there usually isn't anyone else to help me hold the cats while I give them the pill, so after lots of trial and error, I found the quickest way (at least in Loki's case) was to give it through the side as close to the back of her jaw as possible (with the other hand holding her) and by applying some slight pressure against her teeth, she'll open her mouth so I can quickly pop the pill in and (while holding her jaw so she can't spit it out), massage her throat so she swallows it - done in less than half a minute! But with Noodles, it was just too difficult - even the vet and nurse struggled to give her the much smaller Milbemax pill (and it was just half a pill as well, with a pill popper). So I was really surprised at how quickly and readily she took the drontal pill last night. 

I suppose it could be the coating on the pills which caused the foaming! I thought it was a reaction to the active ingredients, since neither of them foamed with the milbemax (which I think has different ingredients). I've never had cats before, but the dogs I've had never foamed when given medication, so I was a bit worried about it when Noodles foamed at first, and I've never seen her or Loki foam at any other time apart from when given prazitel/drontal.

I've tried coating the pills, but the cats are too clever for their own good! I've boiled bits of chicken (which they love) and tried stuffing the pill in a large piece of chicken, but they'll just eat around it. They don't like fish or fish paste. Any other paste or butter just gets licked off. I once bought some granule wormer (granufen?) and mixed it with their food but they somehow caught on and refused to eat.

I'm quite keen to give them milbemax, because apparently it isn't as bitter as drontal or prazitel, and it's also more effective. But it's just a question of whether it would be safe to finish my current supply of drontal and prazitel before getting milbemax from the vet!


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Milbemax are film-coated and 'granufen' might be Panacur which does came in granules as well as the white liquid.


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## Soozi (Jun 28, 2013)

The foaming at the mouth shouldn't really occur if the pill goes straight down the throat so it needs to be placed right at the back of the tongue past the rough surface you can also syringe a small amount of water straight after to make sure it doesn't stick. You could also try a pill gun half filled with water which will wash the pill straight down.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Do they have worms? Indoor cats don't need to be wormed that frequently, if at all.

My kittens eat Milbemax like a treat, for larger pills a pill popper as posted above can be very helpful if you've got a hard to pill cat.


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