# Peperoni and tape worms **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2014, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855 "2014-11-06T05:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/21 "2014-11-08T02:26:12Z")
A very old trick: Crush pill/open capsule - as long as the result is a fine powder (I use two spoons with pill between them to crush). Mix with butter, and spread on kitty’s forepaws - he/she won’t know if the “treat” is worth the indignity of the delivery, but will be compelled by cat cleanliness to lick the stuff off. And swallow it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/22 "2014-11-08T02:46:29Z")
Do check with your vet that the medications you’re giving can be split or crushed. Most can, but some can’t. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/23 "2014-11-08T03:43:44Z")
The only reason I’ve heard why a specific pill can’t be crushed/split is that the contents are not uniform - there are different specific chemicals inside a shell or capsule - this bit is drug A, that bit is drug B - if you split a pill, you may end up with more of A in one piece, and more B in another. If you are using the entire contents, wouldn’t that be a non-issue? The only other reason (I can imagine) would be if the contents cannot be exposed to air/light without degrading. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/24 "2014-11-08T03:54:27Z")
The pills were Drontal. They’re solid, uniform pills, so crushing shouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/25 "2014-11-08T04:25:11Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > :eek: I hope that was a joke. Do not inject your cat with turpentine. > > That’s a sentence I never expected to type. The turpentine & cats thing is an old “prank” (animal abuse if you ask me) from years ago. Hooligans (there’s a word I never expected to type) would paint a cats ass with it and watch him run like a mutha! * * * \*A little boy was sitting on the footpath with a bottle of Turpentine. He was shaking it up and watching all the bubbles. A Priest came along and asked the little boy what he had. The little boy said, ‘This is the most powerful liquid in the world; it’s called Turpentine.’ The Priest said, ‘No, the most powerful liquid in the world is Holy Water. If you rub it on a pregnant woman’s belly, she’ll pass a healthy baby.’ The little boy replied, ‘If you rub turpentine on a cat’s ass, he’ll pass a Harley Davidson!’ \* ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/26 "2014-11-08T04:46:33Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > The only reason I’ve heard why a specific pill can’t be crushed/split is that the contents are not uniform - there are different specific chemicals inside a shell or capsule - this bit is drug A, that bit is drug B - if you split a pill, you may end up with more of A in one piece, and more B in another. > If you are using the entire contents, wouldn’t that be a non-issue? > The only other reason (I can imagine) would be if the contents cannot be exposed to air/light without degrading. Other reasons: if the pill needs to make it to the small intestine intact or if the pill is an extended release formula that would overdose the patient if the medicine was absorbed all at once. I haven’t heard about as many of these in veterinary medicine as people medicine, but I just thought I’d through it out there in an abundance of caution. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/27 "2014-11-08T07:00:04Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Pepperoni might make your cats sick to their stomachs but it won’t do anything for worms. Ask a vet to show you how to pill your cats. Essentially, you raise their chin, squeeze their mouth open, shove the pill down their throat, and hold their mouth closed and their head up, stroking the throat until they swallow. > > I can do the whole maneuver in about two seconds. However, you won’t be able to do it that way very long, because soon they will run like hell when they see that pill bottle. What’s your rate and do you travel? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fishtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@Fishtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fishtar)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/28 "2014-11-08T07:33:26Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > The turpentine & cats thing is an old “prank” (animal abuse if you ask me) from years ago. Turpentine diluted in oil was an old time worming method. Pine trees make the stuff to kill pathogens. As to long term effects…I shudder to think. Reminds me of idiots spraying their houses with orange oil to kill termites. Also, as stated earlier, most vermicides taste really bad. So crush and sprinkle is unlike to work. Little chunks hid in soft cat treats might tough… But I would go get the topical or the shot. A tapeworm can take a cat out fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/29 "2014-11-08T08:34:28Z")
Catch the tapeworm when it’s asleep. And they said tapeworms had it easy. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/30 "2014-11-08T13:33:21Z")
Use Revolution (Selamectin). Its a topical anti-parasitic, usually used for flea control but works a treat against worms. We just switched to it from Advantage for flea control for our cats. Within 3 hours of dosing, one of the cats puked up a huge wad of [toxacara](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxocara_cati) roundworms. Not sure where she got them from (she’s indoor only and was dewormed when we got her). You need to get it from a vet, and its a bit more expensive than other meds, but its great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855/31 "2014-11-09T03:28:12Z")
Thanks. I’ll add that to the list of things to ask the vet about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peperoni-and-tape-worms/703855.md?page=1)