Cat Worming: Best Tablets & How Often (NZ)

If you've noticed rice-like specks around your cat's bottom, a pot-bellied kitten, or you just know your cat is an enthusiastic hunter, worming is on your mind — and the good news is it's simple. For most New Zealand cats, a broad-spectrum allwormer like Drontal, given roughly every three months, keeps the common worms in check. If your cat is a keen hunter that brings home mice and birds, you'll likely need to worm more often. And if your cat treats tablet time like a wrestling match, there's a spot-on called Profender you squeeze onto the skin instead — no swallowing required.

Here's what to buy in NZ, how to actually get a tablet into a cat, how often to do it, and why worming and fleas go hand in hand.

What worms do NZ cats actually get?

Two worms cover most cases in New Zealand cats: roundworm and tapeworm. Roundworm is the one you might spot as spaghetti-like strands in vomit or poo, and it's especially common in kittens. Tapeworm shows up as little flat, rice-grain segments stuck around the tail or in the bedding.

The interesting part is how cats catch them. Tapeworm is very often picked up by swallowing an infected flea while grooming — so a flea problem and a tapeworm problem tend to travel together. Both worms also come from hunting: a cat that eats a mouse, rat or bird can swallow worm larvae hiding in that prey. That's why, in a country full of indoor-outdoor cats, regular worming matters more than people think.

The best cat wormers in NZ, compared

Our pick for most owners is Drontal Allwormer for Cats. It's the trusted, do-it-all default in a lot of Kiwi homes: one tablet covers roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm, so you're not trying to match a product to a specific worm. It's broad, it's reliable, and your vet has almost certainly heard of it — which is exactly what you want from a wormer.

If your cat is fussy, Milbemax for Cats is worth a look. It covers the same worms but comes as a noticeably smaller tablet, which makes it far easier to hide in food or pop down without a fuss. For a cat that clocks a big tablet from across the room, the smaller size can be the difference between a worming that happens and one that doesn't.

On the budget side, Felex Allwormer is a solid, everyday NZ cat wormer that covers the same common worms for less. Honestly, for most healthy adult cats, a budget allwormer like Felex does the job perfectly well — you don't have to buy the dearest box on the shelf. Drontal earns its "top pick" spot on trust and track record, not because the cheaper option is somehow unsafe.

And then there's the cat that simply will not take a tablet — more on that pick next.

What if your cat won't swallow a tablet? (Profender)

Let's be honest: pilling a cat can be a genuine ordeal. Some cats foam, some hide for a day, some spit the tablet out the second you turn your back. If that's your cat, Profender is the answer — it's a spot-on wormer, not a tablet. You part the fur at the back of the neck and squeeze the liquid onto the skin, the same way you'd apply a flea treatment, and it handles the same common worms without anything going in the mouth.

For an un-pillable cat, Profender is a small miracle. It means worming actually gets done instead of being quietly skipped because it's too stressful for everyone. The trade-off is that it usually costs a bit more than a plain tablet, and you apply it to the skin rather than feeding it — but for the right cat, that's a price worth paying for a calm afternoon.

How to actually pill a cat

If you're going the tablet route, here's how to make it as painless as possible:

1. Hide it in food. The easiest win by far. Tuck the tablet into a small spoon of your cat's favourite wet food, a bit of tuna, or a squeezy treat paste, served when they're hungry. Many cats wolf it down without noticing.
2. Go in calm and quick. If food won't work, gently hold your cat (a towel wrap helps wrigglers), tilt the head up so the chin points to the ceiling, open the mouth, and place the tablet as far back over the tongue as you can. Close the mouth and stroke the throat to encourage a swallow.
3. Follow with a treat. A little food or water afterward helps the tablet go down and reminds your cat that tablet time ends with something nice.
4. Know when to switch. If pilling is a battle every single time, stop fighting it — a smaller tablet like Milbemax or the Profender spot-on will save you both a lot of stress.

How often should you worm a cat?

This is the question everyone asks, so here's the general picture — and a clear note that timings are guidance, not a dose.

As a rough guide, most adult indoor cats are wormed about every three months. Kittens need it more often when they're young, because roundworm is so common in the early weeks. And as we've said, a hunter or outdoor cat usually needs worming more frequently than a strictly indoor cat, because every mouse or bird is a fresh chance to pick worms back up. International parasite guidelines lean toward worming more often for cats that hunt or roam.

The honest answer is that the right schedule depends on your individual cat — its age, whether it hunts, whether there are young kids at home, and its general health. So treat "every three months" as a sensible starting point, then follow the product label and your vet's advice for the exact timing and the right product for your cat.

Worming and fleas: do them together

Here's the link that catches a lot of owners out. Because cats so often get tapeworm from swallowing fleas, a flea problem and a worm problem are really two halves of the same job. If you've just dealt with fleas, it's smart to worm shortly afterward to clear any tapeworm the fleas may have passed on — otherwise you treat the fleas, feel sorted, and the tapeworm quietly carries on.

The tidiest way to handle both is a combined approach. We've broken down the easiest options in our guide to cat flea and worm treatment, which covers the products that do both jobs in one. And if fleas are your main worry right now, start with our pick of the best cat flea treatments in NZ — then circle back and worm once the fleas are under control.

According to the Cornell Feline Health Center, keeping on top of both parasites is one of the simplest things you can do for a cat's long-term health — and for an indoor-outdoor Kiwi cat, it's well worth the small effort.

Our verdict

For the average NZ household, buy Drontal Allwormer (or a budget allwormer like Felex, which is genuinely fine for most cats), worm every three months or so, and worm more often if your cat is a hunter. If your cat is a fussy or fierce tablet-refuser, a smaller tablet like Milbemax or the Profender spot-on will save your sanity. And always pair worming with flea control, since the two are linked — then go by the label and your vet for the exact timing and dose.

Want a nudge when the next worming is due? Grab the free reminder calendar below — it's the easiest way to keep your cat on schedule.