Cat Flea Control

Fleas and flea eggs are found anywhere that cats go. Unless you treat for fleas, at some point your cat will inevitably pick them up. One flea brought into your house will lay thousands of microscopic eggs, which go into carpets, soft furnishings etc. Flea eggs are very tough and can last up to 2 years in your home. In many cases when you think your cat has picked up a flea from outside, it is actually from an egg that was already in your house.

What are the symptoms?
As well as getting irritation from flea bites, cats that continue to be bitten will often develop an allergy to the fleas saliva. After an allergy has started the affected cat gets a severe reaction to every bite. This causes hair loss, red irritated skin and severe itching. Treating your cat regularly will prevent an allergy from starting.
Fleas can also act as an intermediate host for the tapeworm, therefore any cat being treated for tapeworm should also receive some flea treatment.
Fleas will not live on people, but we can get bitten leaving red marks on the skin.

                                   

Which flea product?
There are lots of flea products on the market (shampoos, powders, sprays etc). Only products sold by vets are actually effective in stopping your dog picking up fleas and infecting your house. All flea products can be supplied over the counter, without the need to see a vet, but you do need to be a registered client.

It is very important to treat all pets in the household as the same species will live on both cats and dogs. Another often overlooked aspect of flea control is treatment of the environment to destroy any egg and immature fleas, and prevent reinfection of your cat.