Treating Fleas on Cats

It is important to understand some things about treating fleas on cats. If left to live on the surface of your cat's skin - fleas can be the main cause of some loathsome diseases. Cats that have had flea colonies for a long time will often become anemic because of the blood they have lost and there is the danger of tapeworm which is carried by fleas. Although fleas can be very common amongst cats, it should not be tolerated by the owner. Treatment is vital for the good health of your cat and their happiness. We hope to alert you about some of the effective treatments available for taking care of fleas.

Another detail that we shouldn't fail to share is that the saliva of fleas can cause allergic reactions in many cats. This allergic reaction is noted as a disease and is named Flea Allergic Dermatitis or FAD. To make matters worse, the flea will feed off your cat's blood supply as it continues to bite at its skin - this is why in more serious cases a cat may become anemic. You can recognize anemia in cats from the state of their gums - if they look oddly pale then take some action.

One of the first signs of flea infestation on cats is scratching - notably on the ears and around the base of the tail - but it could be any part of the body. Having witnessed this you should confirm it by taking a fine-toothed comb and combing the area where your cat has been scratching the most. Place the comb on a white background such as a piece of kitchen paper. If you see black points then fleas are evident. This is not he flea itself, but rather its excrement. If you were to crush these black points with the kitchen paper, you would see a red/brown coloring which is due to the blood it has ingested.

Don't let fleas be a problem in your cat's life - do something about it with one of the following treatments:

• Oral Medication Treatment - Your veterinarian can give advice on treatments, one of which will be an oral medication that contains the active ingredient lufenuron. Lufenuron is marketed with the brand name "Program". It will prevent any flea eggs from hatching as the medication is ingested by your cat and passed over to the adult fleas via the blood. Adult fleas will not be poisoned but their eggs will not hatch. This type of treatment is often considered to be one option of controlling the flea population.

• Flea Collar Treatment - The best flea collars have insect growth regulators which kill both the adult flea and its eggs. The downside to this treatment is that it will only extend to the head and neck area - not killing any flea infestations on other parts of the body. Furthermore, some cats will incur negative side effects. It is very important that you seek your vet's advice beforehand.

• On The Spot Treatments - There are a few ingredient variants in on the spot treatments which can be bought at the pharmacy. The application manual will provide details on how to treat your cat - which is usually with a small tube of liquid applied to the back of the head. I get my veterinarian to prescribe "Revolution" which has the newer drug selamectin.

It is safe for use in kittens as young as six weeks of age and it has the added effect of treating and preventing hookworms and roundworms. The active ingredient in this one kills both adult fleas and larvae. Two other options are "Advantage" which has the drug imidactoprid as the active ingredient and "Frontline" which has the active ingredient fipronil. These also kill both the adult flea and the larvae. The effects of these last about a month.

It is important to remember, that while treating your cat, you should also thoroughly clean the environment/home. There are special products that can be used to clean furnishings and especially cat bedding. Fleas and their larvae like dark areas so make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies. You should regularly vacuum to keep pesky fleas at bay.

Carolynne Woods has more tips for treating fleas and other cat health problems on her site at Cat-Health-Detective.com