Home pageHow often should you deworm a kitten?
Your veterinarian should deworm your kitten every 4 weeks until they are 6 months old, then every 1-3 months (depending on whether the cat has a higher risk of infection due to active hunting or roaming outdoors). Kitten deworming schedules try to follow the life cycle of worms, which in most cases lasts between 4-6 weeks.
Within that time frame, the parasites mature from larvae into adults, reproduce, then die, sometimes moving throughout the intestines as they develop. For example, the life cycle of a roundworm is simple: after a kitten ingests an egg, it hatches in the feline's GI tract, then larvae migrate through the lungs, liver, and muscle tissue. After several weeks, they return to the intestine to mature into adults.
Kitten deworming medication targets and affects each life stage differently, so administering a dosage at 4-6 week intervals ensures both the larvae and mature adults are killed once kittens no longer have their mother’s immunity.
This deworming schedule should continue until they are 6 months old, at which age they will be old enough to begin preventative therapies. All felines should be treated with a monthly parasite prevention that controls fleas, roundworms, hookworms, and heartworm in cats.