Cat ate dog dewormer – what to do next

The active ingredient of dog dewormers and cat dewormers may be the same for certain brands but that doesn’t necessarily mean your cat will be okay after it has been accidentally given some dog dewormers. The consequences may depend on factors such as the type and dosage of the dewormer’s active ingredient.

Let’s use PetArmor’s 7 Way Dog De-Wormer as an example. A single chewable would contain 114 mg of pyrantel pamoate and 114 mg of praziquantel. This could be more than a cat could handle, especially if the cat is still a kitten or small in body weight. We would call the vet straight away as consuming a high dosage of dewormer could lead to serious health consequences for the cat. If your vet is closed then an alternative might be to call the pet poison hotline or the emergency vet.

Even in situations where your cat ate a tiny amount of dog dewormer, it may give you peace of mind to call the vet for advice. In such instances, you might just be asked to monitor your cat closely and to have your cat taken in to see the vet if it does start to show concerning symptoms like vomiting, excessive drooling, and lethargy.

In the meantime, make sure your cat has access to plenty of clean drinking water. Keep your cat indoors so you can keep a close eye on its behavior.