Cats love the outdoors so they are quite vulnerable to flea infestation. Your cat is a perfect host for these itchy freeloaders, which hide in your pet’s fur and thrive on its blood, and even yours. It’s easy for fleas to jump onto your arm, for instance, since cats like snuggling up to their owners.
Fleas think cats are their best friends but cats certainly don’t feel the same about fleas. While fleas binge on cats’ blood, cats don’t get anything from them but discomfort and diseases.
These tiny bloodsuckers also create a gap between cats and their owners. (That’s sad because what would Garfield be without Jim and his famous lasagna?) Flea-infested cats are health risks, as diseases have been known to spread from animals to humans because of fleas. Would you still feel the same about your cat if it had fleas?
It is even more traumatic for cat owners to see their cats’ energy zapped then die eventually because of diseases carried by fleas. No cat owner wants that to happen, of course, so if your cats have fleas, you must act soonest.
The initial remedy for flea-stricken cats is to give them a cold baths using flea shampoo. Fleas can’t stand cold baths and regular use of flea shampoos will rid your cat of fleas. Of course you have to be extra careful because cats hate cold baths.
You may also use flea combs on your cat regularly. Other helpful options include flea dips, flea collars and flea sprays.
If fleas have completely invaded your house, it will be futile to squish them one by one. You can only do so much. A total cleanup is necessary, calling for drastic measure – the use of flea bombs. The strategies are varied but the goal is to keep a healthy home by killing all these parasites.
It’s advisable to apply all preventive measures so fleas won’t thrive in your house even if you have a cat or cats that love to go outdoors. Cats are programmed by nature to be like that. Only cartoon cats love to stay inside the house and binge on lasagna.
You may use flea control products, such as those offered by Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Program, on your cats, but it won’t be as effective as keeping them inside the house most of the time. You can train your cats to stay inside and give them reasons to love staying inside. But hey, they will go outside, whether you like it or not. So it’s best that you clean up your house’s surroundings.
Cats that are not regularly brought to the veterinarian for checkup, and whose owners use flea products bought over the counter, will more likely be infested by fleas. They may look healthy but try looking closer at their fur.
A shiny fur is not a good sign of your cat’s being flea-free. They may appear healthy and all, but are they totally free from fleas? We can put it this way: Don’t judge a cat by its fur.
Although fleas don’t bore deep into your cat’s skin, they give your cat unimaginable discomfort, especially if they have reached alarming number. Among the diseases they cause are flea-bite dermatitis, epidemic murine typhus, tapeworm, and even bubonic plague. These diseases have to be treated immediately before it results in death – not just your cat, but you too.
In severe cases, flea medication for your cats must be considered. Varied flea medications which come in different forms (spray, pill form, flea food or flea drops) are now available in pet stores and online shops. These are produced by the popular pet-hygiene companies mentioned earlier.
There are topical solutions like Frontline Top Spot or Advantage’s flea medicines, but cat owners and veterinarians usually look for oral flea medicines.
Serious cases of flea infestation call for oral flea medications or the oral flea meds. Once ingested, these flea meds work to prevent flea eggs from developing into adult fleas, thus preventing the production of more eggs.
Some flea meds take effect fast, killing adult fleas in a matter of minutes. Flea meds are usually given to cats, along with external flea-control measures, like flea powders, flea shampoos and flea dips. Program, for instance, is often used with Frontline.
It’s best to use only the flea meds prescribed by the vet, as some of these medicines may not be effective for your cats. Some health-related reactions may arise, putting your cat’s life in danger.
To see your cat dying slowly, suffering from pain because you have given her the wrong flea med would be quite traumatic. So it pays to consult the veterinarian. If you were the one suffering from an illness, you wouldn’t self-medicate, would you?