Cat Fleas

Fighting Fleas Indoors - How to Treat for Them in your Home

You're sitting in your favorite spot on the couch with your cat by your side. Then all of the sudden, you feel an itching sensation around your ankles. You scratch a few times, but this irritating feeling just persists. You look down and see little dark dots just bouncing around. Guess what? Your precious kitty has brought a present into your home – fleas! But wait a minute; you are diligent about treating your family pet for fleas. After all, you struggle with your ornery cat when it comes to baths, flea collars and topical flea treatments. What is the deal with all these hopping pesky critters nipping at your ankles?

Unless your cat is strictly an indoor family feline, chances are it has brought those fleas right inside from the outside! Your first course of action is to treat your yard with insecticide to kill any fleas and larvae. However, that outside treatment alone is not going to eradicate those fleas inside your home. See, what happens is that these adult fleas drop off your pet and burrow into the carpet. The same does for any flea eggs, pupae or larvae. These critters will lie in your carpet, seat cushions, slipcovers and bedding until such time that their eggs hatch and are ready to hop onto some unsuspecting victim. You have to not only treat for those adult fleas but also get those eggs as well before they hatch.

The first step and perhaps the most important in fighting these fleas is your vacuum cleaner. Consistent vacuuming is a great way to get rid of a lot of the adult fleas as well as the eggs, pupae and larvae in your carpet, bedding and really, anything else that can be vacuumed. Be sure to vacuum the areas where you cat sleeps and lounges the most. Also be sure to get into the cracks and crevices of the floorboards and corners of rooms. The key to a successful vacuum session is making sure to replace your vacuum cleaner bag regularly so that those eggs don’t hatch and escape to other parts of your home. By sealing your vacuum cleaner bag inside of a plastic bag, you can ensure that those fleas will not escape.

The next step in eradicating the fleas from your home is the use of flea insecticides. These chemical treatments can be in the form of powders, sprays and foggers. In some instances, depending on the flea infestation, you might have to use a combination of products to get the desired effect you want. In regards to powders, this would be a treatment that you shake and work into your carpet. By allowing the powder to settle into the carpet fibers, it can penetrate down into the matting below. This speeds up any flea eggs into hatching, where you can then vacuum up the little critters, thus ridding yourself of even more fleas.

With sprays, flea control is short term. Flea spray really just kills the adult fleas and does not affect the eggs, pupae or larvae. Foggers can be messy and a trial to work with. You have to vacate your home for several hours or even up to overnight, depending on the amount of treatment you have to conduct. Some foggers leave a residue on the surfaces in your home. You have to take special care and put away any food products and relocate your fish tank or bird cages.

Be sure to get every single area in your home that your cat visits. Some cats love the closet and will sleep in there. Others like the garage or laundry rooms. You also cannot forget the pet carriers and any vehicles that the cat may have ridden in. All of these areas will need to be treated for fleas.

It is important to note that successful flea eradication stems from a combination of several treatments. Vacuuming should always be the first step in the treatment process. Then the sprays, foggers and powders are the next step. After the application of these chemical treatments, you should vacuum again. This treatment cycle rarely works the first time. You may have to complete the cycle two or more times before most of the fleas are gone. You know when you’ve been successful because you will be able to sit with your cat on the couch without being nibbled on by fleas!

Flea Control - Ten Measures You Can Take to Prevent an Infestation

Preventing an infestation of fleas takes a lot less effort than trying to take care of an existing problem. However, because an adult flea can produce tens of thousands of new little fleas each and every month, it takes an all out effort just to keep these hopping, pesky critters under control. It is almost impossible to completely eradicate the fleas.

The key to flea control is treating both the inside of your home as well as your outside yard area. You also have to control what other animals your cat may come in contact with as well as the roaming or prowling on properties other than your own. In addition, there are a multitude of products on the market today to help with the fleas’ cohabitating on your cat as well. Let’s take a brief look at ten measures you can take to prevent an infestation of fleas:

1. Flea baths and dips – Flea baths use a topical medicated shampoo that is used specifically for flea treatment. These baths work great for a day or two; however, the effects wear off quickly. You cat would have to have a bath practically every other day and this is something most people simply have no time to accomplish. That is why flea dips are more effective and last for several weeks. However, these flea dips are a last resort because of the heavy chemicals involved in the process. These dips can cause a buildup of chemical deposits that can be unhealthy if too much is ingested.

2. Flea powder and spray treatments – Flea powders and sprays offer only a short term defense against fleas and really are not used as often as other methods of flea treatment. It should be especially noted that only adult fleas are affected by this preventive measure.

3. Flea Collars – Flea collars are another measure for cats in getting rid of fleas. What happens is that the collar exudes a “poisonous” gas that fleas absolutely hate and this gas is then absorbed into your cat’s skin. The drawbacks are that the flea collars only seem to work in the general vicinity of its wearer – which is usually around the cat’s neck. You can also drop a flea collar inside of a vacuum cleaner bag to kill these creatures.

4. Flea medication – Usually in pill form, this flea medicine can keep the flea eggs from hatching, stopping reproduction in its tracks. However, this medication has to be a continuous treatment program in order for it to be successful. Please note these flea medications in pill format do not kill the adult fleas, but rather halt the reproduction process. For cats, they are notorious about not taking medicine, so there are also certain flea medications in the form of a shot. Just be sure to ask your doctor about this delivery method of medication.

5. Absorbable medications also known as “spot on” flea medication - These absorbable flea medications are customarily in an ointment or thick liquid form. Cat owners, you should apply the medicine on the back of your pet, usually between the shoulder blades. You would have to part the hair to apply the flea medication on the skin for better absorption. Effectiveness is usually a month and kills adult fleas for sure. Some medications will also halt the development of the larva within the flea eggs.

6. Vacuuming – Your carpets and furniture are harbor quite a bit of adult fleas, flea eggs, pupae and larva. If you want to get rid of these critters before they multiply and take over your home, daily vacuuming working wonders. Be sure and put a flea collar inside your vacuum cleaner bag! Fleas don’t like the minute gases it gives off. Changing your vacuum cleaner bag frequently will keep the flea eggs and other parts from hatching and hopping away from the vacuum cleaner to other parts of the house.

7. Flea foggers – This approach is a bit more drastic simply because it is such an inconvenience to the whole family. You have to ensure food items are put away as well as anything else that might suffer from the effects of the fogger. Your family and pets would have to vacate the premises while the fogger is doing its job and you would not be able to re-enter your home until everything is dry.

8. Washing laundry – By washing your cat’s bedding as well as any other items the cat is fond of, you can get rid of quite a few fleas. Be sure to wash in hot soapy water when possible. Clothes, tablecloths, slipcovers … all should be washed frequently.

9. Flea treatments for the yard – If your cat goes outside at any time, it would pay off to treat your yard for these fleas. Every time your cat goes outside, it has the potential of carrying back into your home hundreds of fleas and flea eggs. By treating your yard with some type of insecticide, you cut that probability way down.

10. Flea combs – This method is ridding your cat of fleas is time consuming. However, if your cat is sick or expecting kittens, this is a workable method. You would use a special medicated flea comb on your pet, making sure to capture the fleas that come out and dousing them in water that has soap or detergent in it. That will ultimately kill the fleas and any eggs that are picked out by the comb.

Flea Treatment Options for your Cat

Before you adopt your first cat or take in that stray that you have been feeding, consider all of the flea treatment options for this cat. Are you willing to be proactive and aggressive in your stance against these pesky fleas? Cat ownership consists not only of wonderful companionship but also all of the care of the cat as well. That means regular grooming, veterinarian visits, cat food and toy purchases and of course, flea treatment. As long as you know that fleas will never truly go away, you should be ready to tackle owning a cat and all that entails.

Flea treatment options for your cat extend to your immediate environment as well. The yard, cars, inside your home … wherever your cat goes, fleas are there. So putting a flea collar on your cat is just the tip of the iceberg! Let’s talk first about your cat itself. What measures can you take in regards to eliminating or at least greatly reducing those fleas on them? Flea shampoos are one line of defense. Just watch those hopping critters “abandon ship” when you are bathing your cat. You will literally see these fleas jumping off your cat and watch them float to their death in the soapy water. Those flea shampoos are effective for a day or two and will get rid of a lot of mature fleas, but you still have to think about the flea eggs that might still be lingering in your cat’s fur.

Flea dips are another option, but should be reserved for severe flea problems. Dips leave a lingering chemical accumulation on the fur. And since cats love to groom themselves by licking, prolonged ingestion of this chemical could be harmful for the cat. With flea powders and sprays that are applied directly on the cat, these treatment options usually work only on the mature, adult fleas, leaving the flea eggs behind waiting to hatch. Besides, the powders and sprays last for only up to two or three days at the most. One possible reason to use these methods is if you are traveling. These treatments are not invasive and can easily be bought no matter where you go.

Spot treatments for fleas are very popular with cat owners. These can last for up to a month, longer if the weather is cold. All of the spot treatments take care of adult fleas. Some of these flea treatments also contain ingredients that can inhibit the flea eggs from hatching, stopping reproduction of these irritating creatures in its tracks. For the most part, these spot treatments require a prescription from your veterinarian, so ask them about the best course of action. Spot flea treatments are easy to apply. You would just part the fur on the back of the cat, usually between the shoulder blades or along the spine, and apply a dose of the treatment. That’s all there is to it!

Oral medications are an alternative as well when it comes to flea control. If your cat loves to eat, it may be easier for you to hide a pill in a food treat. These flea medications are effective and stop the flea eggs from hatching and producing new fleas. These pills that your cat takes by mouth work in this way: The medication flows through the bloodstream. The fleas love gorging themselves on the blood of your cat. They in turn will ingest this blood that contains the medication. As a result, any flea eggs that are laid will never hatch! Please note that this method does not get rid of existing adult fleas, only the eggs. This is a perfect method of breaking the cycle of flea reproduction and should be used in conjunction with a flea treatment that kills adult fleas. Some of these oral medications do come in the form of a shot, which is especially important if your cat does not take medication very well.

Besides the hands-on flea treatments for your cat, you should also aim your attention to your surroundings. Treat the outside yard area. Vacuum daily. Use carpet flea powders to get those fleas and the eggs that like to burrow in the carpet. Wash area rugs and the bedding your cat sleeps on. A combination of several flea treatment options will give you and your cat a relatively flea-free existence.