Cat flea treatment

Bobcat scratching - fleas? - almost certain - photo by ehoyer

In my experience, on a day to day basis, cat flea treatment should be fairly straightforward.

These are the factors:

Keep the home clean and well hoovered.

If a I feed a stray cat I check him for fleas and apply cat flea treatment (see below).

Check for fleas daily with a flea comb. Act on the information. The sooner one spots fleas the less likely they are to present a big problem.

Fleas like to inhabit areas around the chin, neck, back of head, the end of the spine (just before the beginning of the tail).

If I find fleas I comb them out.

If there are too many I use Frontline or a similar dropper treatment. The instructions should be followed carefully.

I continue to comb after giving Frontline to check on progress. The fleas will gradually disappear. I comb some out as well.

Important I think in support of cat flea treatment: Hoover around the areas where the cat sleeps or likes to sit and watch. This should be done regularly, at least once a day. Fleas jump off the cat and live in carpets.

Routinely continue to monitor until satisfied the infestation is under control.

When combing out fleas some skill is required to catch and crush. They move fast and jump off the comb. I move fast to beat them. I crush them on the comb with my nails.

Don't use the insecticide sprays as a cat flea treatment. They can be poisonous to a cat particularly Pyrethrin and Permethrin Insecticides. These are for dogs. They are poisonous to cats and cause symptoms such as drooling, spasms etc in about 6 hours from application. I'd steer clear of these. Keep it simple and even monitor the reaction to Frontline as this is a chemical going into the skin of the cat.

If a more major cat flea treatment is needed it might mean a bath with an insecticide but I'd check with the veterinarian on the insecticide. Kittens require extreme care.

Cat Flea Treatment to cat and dog parasite pictures