How To Treat Fleas On Cats At Home
Fleas are one of the most annoying parasites found in cats. Fleas suck the cat’s blood and cause considerable itching and skin irritation in the host. A number of products are available in the market to prevent flea bites, but they reduce flea populations only during the treatment period.
The goal of every pet owner is to create the best living conditions for their pets. Sometimes cat fleas can take over and cause problems in the home. It’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible, because in some cases they might be carrying other diseases that can affect humans and your pets. This article provides an overview of fleas and how you should treat fleas for cats effectively.
How To Treat Fleas On Cats At Home
Fleas can be a pain in the neck for both cats and their owners. They’re a common problem, but fortunately there are ways you can treat them at home. The first step to treating fleas is identifying where they’re coming from. Your cat’s fur can hold fleas for up to a week, so if your cat has been outside recently and has fur that smells like soil or grass, it’s likely that there are fleas living in it. You can also check your cat’s coat for live fleas by parting it into sections and combing through it with a fine-toothed comb.
If you find that your pet has fleas, you’ll need to treat them with a topical medication like Frontline or Advantage. These medications come in either sprays or drops, depending on what kind of animal you have (cats versus dogs). They may also come in different concentrations; consult with your veterinarian before applying any product. If you’re treating an indoor kitty, make sure you keep them inside while the medicine dries on their fur so they don’t ingest any of the chemicals in it accidentally!
Treating fleas on cats is a difficult task, but it’s not impossible. It’s just important to know what you’re doing.
It’s important to use a quality product and treat your cat in a way that makes sense for their breed and personality. If you have a particularly anxious cat, then you might want to try a different method than if you have a laid-back cat.
If your cat has fleas, there are some things that can be done to eliminate them from your pet’s fur and skin.
The first thing you should do is check with your vet to see if there are any other underlying health concerns that might be making the fleas worse. This can include anything from allergies or irritations from mites or flea bites themselves.
Once you’ve determined that this is just an issue with fleas, there are several things you can do.
How To Treat Fleas On Cats At Home
Do a Flea Check
Before you spend money on flea treatments, find out if these pests have settled on your cat:
- Watch for any signs of movement in their fur. If you spot tiny bugs bouncing off their coat, it’s time to fight fleas.
- Comb your cat with a fine-toothed metal flea comb from head to tail several times a day. This will skim off adult fleas and their eggs and ease their itching.
- Then, dip the comb in a mixture of warm to hot water and liquid dish detergent to kill the fleas.
How to Prevent Fleas
Your cat’s warm, furry coat and nourishing blood supply are a flea’s dream home. Protect your pet with a flea barrier to prevent these tiny pests from settling in. There are a few different types:
- Fipronil (Frontline Plus)
- Imidacloprid (Advantage)
- Selamectin (Stronghold/Revolution)
- Fluralaner (Bravecto)
A flea collar with flumethrin and imidacloprid (Seresto) can also work well.
Medicines your cat eats. The pill nitenpyram (Capstar) kills adult fleas on your cat within 30 minutes. It doesn’t have any lasting effects, though. Spinosad (Comfortis) is a fast-acting chewable that starts killing fleas before they lay eggs. It provides a full month of flea protection to help prevent future hatchings.
Treat Stubborn Fleas
Fleas that stubbornly stick around despite treatment may call for more serious measures.
- Clear the decks. Take all pets and family members out of the house, and then coat carpets and other surfaces with a flea spray. Sprays that work the best have the ingredient methoprene or pyriproxyfen. If you’re worried about chemicals in the house, try a natural citrus spray. Keep pets, kids, and everyone else away until all surfaces have dried.
- Make sure all your pets get flea treatment. Any untreated pet can be a flea reservoir, and you’ll never get control of the flea situation. Until all of your pets are treated, fleas will win the battle.
- Call a flea expert. If fleas are still around, you might need an exterminator to address the problem.
Even in large numbers, fleas are tiny and pretty easy to kill. After a few weeks of thorough cleaning, they should stop bugging your cat — and you. Although it can take up to 3 months to fully eradicate an infestation.
While commercial flea medications and treatments can certainly help tame a flea problem in your cat, there are also an array of do-it-yourself approaches that cat owners can take to banish the bugs. If you’ve already had a consultation with your veterinarian regarding your feline flea problem, here are some at-home remedies you can try that may help get rid of your cat’s flea problem for good.
Cedar Chips
It’s a known fact that fleas hate the smell of cedar chips—and there’s a chance your cat may not be too fond of it, either. However, you can try spreading cedar chips around your cat’s bedding or outdoors in your garden. You can also apply cedar oil spray on your cat’s fur, as it is a safe, non-toxic essential oil, or even your cat’s collar to help keep the bugs at bay.
Lemons
One of the most effective natural flea killers is citric acid, which makes lemon juice a widely-recognized home remedy for treating fleas. You can spray your cat’s coat with a solution made by boiling a cut lemon or two (let the lemons steep for a few hours) and then draining the liquid before transferring it to a spray bottle. Work the solution gently into your car’s fur—just be sure to avoid his or her eyes and monitor your pet for redness or other signs of irritation—and repeat the treatment as often as needed until the fleas are gone entirely.
If your cat hates water—as most cats do—you can also try using a comb dipped into the solution and brushing the fleas out. If you’re concerned about any leftover fleas and flea eggs, add a cup of lemon juice to your laundry while washing your pet’s bedding to help exterminate any remaining bugs.
Spices
One of the easiest things you can do for a flea-infested cat is to spice up their life with natural ingredients you might find in your kitchen. Because of a natural compound known as carvacrol, oregano oil can be very effective at removing fleas; start by mixing one teaspoon of oregano oil with three teaspoons of olive oil and apply small amounts of the solution to areas where fleas tend to congregate, like your cat’s ears, stomach, tail, and neck. Fleas also don’t particularly care for rosemary; try grinding the leaves into a powder and sprinkling it in the areas where your cat tends to hang out in your home.
If your cat won’t allow you to apply topical treatments to his or her fur, you can try mixing a small amount (less than a teaspoon) of cumin into your cat’s food. The spice will make your cat’s skin become very unappetizing to fleas.
If you don’t have any of these spices on hand, a little bit of table salt can also do the trick, as it helps dehydrate and kill the fleas on your cat. Better yet, it works to kill fleas and flea eggs that may be lurking on your carpet (just sprinkle it on), or when mixed with water, it can be used to treat hard surfaces.
List Of How To Treat Fleas On Cats At Home
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Additional Info :
- 6-month supply of advantage II topical large cat flea prevention
- Easy-to-apply and pre-measured flea treatment application tubes, fragrance-free and waterproof after 24 hours
- Advantage II large cat flea prevention kills fleas through contact, meaning fleas don’t have to bite your cat in order to die.Avoid contact with eyes or clothing
- Starts working within 12 hours and protects your cat for up to 30 days. Kills fleas in multiple life stages; Eggs, larvae and adults to break the flea life cycle
- Vet recommended, fragrance free and designed specifically to treat and prevent fleas on cats
Additional Info :
Color | Blacks & Grays |
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 4.25 Inches |
Width | 1 Inches |
Length | 6.5 Inches |
Weight | 0.05 Pounds |
- GENTLE PROTECTION: Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Home Spray uses certified natural ingredients to kill fleas, flea eggs, and ticks on contact.
- PROVEN EFFECTIVE: Whether facing an active infestation or are applying for routine prevention, our spray is scientifically proven effective against pests but gentle enough to use around the whole family.
- CERTIFIED NATURAL OILS: Each steam-distilled essential oil is selected for its potent pest-fighting properties and is 100% Certified Natural.
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Additional Info :
Color | Green |
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 0.81 Inches |
Width | 3.38 Inches |
Length | 3.38 Inches |
Weight | 2 Pounds |
- CERTIFIED GENTLE AND SAFE Chlorine free and color safe. Safe to use around pets and children. No hazardous propellants, no residue left behind. So gentle it’s been Certified Safe for all carpets, earning the Seal of Approval by the trusted Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI)
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Additional Info :
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 10 Inches |
Width | 2 Inches |
Length | 5 Inches |
Weight | 2 Pounds |
- FAST-ACTING FLEA TREATMENT: One oral flea tablet starts killing fleas within 30 minutes.
- TACKLE FLEA INFESTATIONS FAST: Give Capstar oral flea treatment and watch dead fleas fall off your pet.
- TREAT RE-INFESTATIONS FAST: If your pet gets re-invested with fleas, simply give another dose as often as once a day.
- WITHOUT A VET PRESCRIPTION: Flea treatment without needing a veterinarian prescription, administer this cat flea tablet orally to kill adult fleas fast.
- KILL ADULT FLEAS: Capstar oral flea treatment tablets (11.4 mg) are safe for cats and kittens from 2-25 lbs., four (4) weeks and older.
Additional Info :
Color | Pink |
Item Dimensions | |
Height | 2.99 Inches |
Width | 0.79 Inches |
Length | 4.92 Inches |
Weight | 2.508E-5 Pounds |