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Cat Fleas: Treatment and Control
Where does my cat get fleas?
The most common flea found on cats and dogs is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). Rarely rabbit fleas or hedgehog fleas are found on cats.
The most important source of cat fleas is newly emerged adult fleas from pupae in your
| Suggested Treatments | |
 Skin-eze 
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 Skin-eze Shampoo
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 Skin-eze Spray
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Skin-Eze Oil O3
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What effect do fleas have on my cat?
Many cats live with fleas but show minimal signs. The following problems can occur:
- Some cats develop an allergy to flea bites. If these cats are bitten by fleas they groom or scratch excessively and develop skin disease.
Skin-eze is one of the most popular all natural remedies used as a treatment for cat allergies and to alleviate the itching and skin problems caused by fleas. Skin-eze is a tasty herbal treat made from 100% natural mix of Oriental herbs and spices. Click here to learn more about Skin-eze. - Adult fleas live on animals and feed on blood. In kittens and debilitated animals this may cause anemia.
- The flea acts as the intermediate host for the tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). Tapeworm eggs, which are shed within tapeworm segments in cat feces, are eaten by flea larvae that develop into infected fleas. Cats become infested by eating infected fleas during grooming. Any cat with fleas is likely also to have a tapeworm infestation.
The use of an all-natural remedy can be very convenient and cost effective. Tape-Eze (made famous in the Martin Zucker "Natural Pet" medicine books), will eliminate tapeworms. In addition, using Tape-Eze on a monthly basis is an excellent, preventative medication for cats who are prone to become reinfested. This treatment can be safely repeated as often as necessary. Click here to learn more about Tape-eze.
This can be a demanding task and requires a three pronged approach. Fleas need to be
eliminated from your cat, from any other cats and dogs that you have and from your home. Even this rigorous approach may not give 100% control as there are other sources of fleas that are not amenable to your control such as other people's pets, wild animals and infested environments which your cat may come into contact with outside your house.
What products are available to treat my cat?
Skin-eze Shampoo is a great product for healing a cat's skin and relieving the itching and scratching. It also kills fleas, ticks and lice and is safe enough to use everyday. And if that isn't enough, it can also rid your cat of skunk odor. Click here to learn more about Skin-eze Shampoo.
Skin-eze Spray is an excellent natural remedy used as a flea, tick, and mosquito repellent. It also relieves your cat's inflamed itchy skin. Skin-eze Spray is made from essential oils and homeopathic mother tinctures. Click here to learn more about Skin-eze Spray.
My cat hates being sprayed. What can I do?
Many cats strongly dislike being sprayed. Flea collars are very convenient but they don't work well or provide sufficient control for a flea allergic cat. Additionally, some flea collars may be harmful to some cats. Some cats will develop a skin reaction to collars. Skin-eze Spray, however, is a pump spray containing liquid that can be measured out and then stroked onto your cat's coat.
How can I treat my home environment?
A number of different products are available which will kill the stages of the flea life cycle present in your home such as:
- Insecticide sprays for use in the house.
- Sprays containing insect growth regulators for use in the house.
- A liquid (for cats) or a tablet (for dogs) which is given to the pet by mouth and which contains a chitin synthesis inhibitor. Adult fleas which feed on the medicated animal produce eggs which are incapable of hatching to produce adult fleas so the development of an infested environment is prevented. This is a form of “birth control” for fleas. All pets in the household need to be treated.
- Insecticides applied by professional pest control operatives in your house.
pupae are likely to be. It is recommended that you treat the entire household first and then concentrate on the hot spots - your cat's favorite dozing spots - such as soft furniture, beds and carpets. Once they hatch from the egg, flea larvae move away from the light and burrow deep into carpets and into other nooks and crannies where it is difficult to treat. Be sure to move cushions, furniture and beds to spray underneath. Other places larvae are likely to live include baseboards and the cracks in wooden floors.
Your pet's bedding should be regularly washed in hot water or replaced. Regular and thorough vacuuming of your carpets, floors and soft furnishings can remove a large number of flea eggs, larvae and pupae that are present in your home. You will need to throw away the vacuum bag to prevent eggs and larvae from developing inside the vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming prior to the application of a spray to the house is recommended because the vibrations will encourage newly developed fleas to emerge from pupae, which will be killed by the insecticide.
How do I choose which products to use?
A flea control program needs to be individually tailored based on the lifestyle of your cat and other pets. An excellent program would involve using an insecticide to rid the fleas in the environment, Skin-eze Shampoo to kill the fleas on your cat and other pets, and the use of Skin-eze Spray as a repellent to ward off further infestations. This three-pronged approach works in nearly all cases.
Are insecticides safe for my cat and my family?
Insecticides for flea control should be safe both for pets and humans provided the manufacturer's instructions are carefully followed. One should be particularly careful to avoid combining insecticides with similar modes of action. Always seek your veterinarian's advice if you are unsure about this and always tell your veterinarian about any flea control products you may be using other than those which he has prescribed.
Certain types of pets (e.g. fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates) may be particularly susceptible to some products. Do not use any flea control products in the room in which these pets are kept without first consulting your veterinarian for advice.
I have not seen any fleas on my cat. Why has my veterinarian advised flea control?
Fleas are easy to find if a cat is heavily infested. If fleas are present in smaller
numbers, it can be harder to see them and fleas move fast! Try looking on the cat's stomach, around the tail base and around the neck. Sometimes adult fleas cannot be found but "flea dirt" can be seen. This is fecal matter from the flea that contains partially digested blood and is a good indicator of the presence of fleas. Flea dirt is seen as small black specks or coiled structures; when placed on damp white tissue, they dissolve leaving a reddish brown blood color. Flea dirt may be found in cat's bedding even when they cannot be found on the cat.
In cats that develop an allergy to fleas one of the symptoms is excessive grooming. Cats are very efficient at removing debris from their coat's using their tongues and may succeed in removing all evidence of flea infestation i.e. adult fleas and flea dirt. One of the commonest causes of feline allergic skin disease is flea allergy. To investigate this possibility your veterinarian may advise rigorous flea control even though no fleas can be found. If the cat's skin problem improves with flea control then it suggests that flea allergy is involved. Again, Skin-eze is a natural remedy that will safely and effectively treat your cat's flea allergy.
I noticed my cat had fleas after his return from boarding. Did he get fleas there?
Not necessarily. Newly hatched adult fleas can survive for up to 140 days within the pupa. When you and your pets are absent from home for extended periods of time these adult fleas remain in the pupae because no host is available. As soon as you or your pet returns home, these fleas will emerge in large numbers and jump onto cats, dogs and even people in the search for a blood meal.
Despite treating my cat for fleas he still has them. Is there a “super flea”?
There is no evidence of fleas developing resistant to insecticides. Apparent failure of treatment almost always results from inadequate treatment of the home or exposure to other infested pets or environments. Consider treating sheds, cars and any outdoor sleeping spots. Bear in mind that your cat may be going into other people's houses. Most of these problems can be overcome by using Skin-eze Shampoo on the cat to kill adult fleas in addition to treating your home.