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Fleas are something that most cat owners will need to deal with at least a few times in your pet’s life. Knowing how to do cat flea treatment will help you to make this process go easier. Here is some information on cat fleas and how to control and prevent them from attacking your pet:

How do cats get fleas?

Cats can get fleas even if they don’t go outside by flea eggs sticking to their owners’ feet or by flea eggs being dormant in an old rug, or if the owner pets another cat and fleas transfer from it to the owner and then to the cat at home. As you can see, cat flea control can get complicated when it comes to preventing and treating any existing flea problem.

Fleas do more than just make you or your cat itch, though that alone is not very comfortable. Cat fleas can be carriers of the tapeworm larva, which can in turn infest the cat if it eats any of the fleas.  Fleas can cause anemia in kittens or weak cats. Plus, fleas can also cause some kinds of cat allergies to form, which later lead to more serious skin problems. A cat allergy can make your cat miserable and make her scratch herself so badly she can lose much of her fur if it is bad enough.

How to Detect Fleas on Your Cat

In order to find out if your cat has fleas, you can place her on a white sheet and brush or comb her fur using a fine tooth comb or flea comb. Look on the sheet for any flea dirt or actual fleas. The flea dirt is specks of black that is the waste material from the fleas.

Getting Rid of Fleas

When you discover that your cat has fleas, you have to treat the whole environment, not just the animal. You have to also treat the house, yard, bedding, etc. It helps to vacuum frequently, but this doesn’t entirely get rid of the fleas or work for cat flea control. Be sure to throw away the vacuum bags if you use this method. You can also have your carpets steam cleaned to kill fleas and flea eggs.

You have to be diligent and treat all the little tiny cracks and crevices, plus all the soft products like curtains, rugs, bedding, and furniture. If anything appears to be heavily infested, it is most likely best to just toss it out unless it can be laundered in hot water.

There are many different products available to both kill and prevent cat fleas. Some of these include flea collars, flea shampoo, sprays, foams and powders, as well as topical products that go onto your cat each month like Frontline cat or Advantage cat, as well as oral tablets that kill existing fleas and some that both kill existing fleas and prevent new breakouts such as Program. A relatively new product is called Revolution. It is a topical product that not only kills fleas, but also kills several kinds of worms, including roundworms, tapeworms and heartworms.

If you use sprays or powders, make sure they are cat products, as those for dogs can kill a cat because they are too strong. Another thing to remember is not to overdo it by using more than one flea treatment at a time on your cat.

You also need to treat your yard, and it may be best to hire professionals. However, be sure to tell them they need to use a cat safe product, and keep your cat inside for 24 hours after treatment.

Remember! Never ever use any sort of flea treatment or control product that is not specifically for cats. Any other kind, such as that for dogs, will cause serious harm or even death to a cat. If you do this you may find yourself taking your cat to the hospital ASAP and hoping that you have cat health insurance to cover the bill.

Conclusions

Fleas are tiny little wingless insects that suck the blood from your cats. They can also cause cat flea allergy symptoms or worse. Be sure to check your cat for fleas often and if you find any treat the home and your pet with the appropriate flea control and treatment products for cats.

Cat Flea Treatments – Prevent Allergies – Cat Flea Control