How to Get Rid of Fleas on Cats

Think your cat may have fleas? Don't Panic I'm here to help I'm Dr. Yvette Huizar and I have River with me today to talk about it before we talk about treatments let's talk a little bit about how cats get fleas outdoor cats are more likely to get fleas when they're out exploring if you have an indoor cat but there's a dog in your home they can get fleas from the dog even with only an indoor cat it's still possible for them to get fleas I see it often fleas are most active in summer months but can be a problem for your pet and you year round without treatment cats can get tapeworms since fleas are part of the tapeworm life cycle some of these diseases and parasites are zoonotic meaning that they pose a risk to people as well common symptoms of fleas include scratching hair loss inflamed red skin cats with fle allergy dermatitis have more severe skin lesions like scabs and crusts you will also see Li fleas and also fle dirt in the fur which looks like brown dots the most common areas for fleas to congregate on cats is their lower back Bas of the tail on the head back of the neck and their belly to inspect your cat for fleas you'll part your cat's fur all the way down to the skin look for live fleas or flea dirt flea dirt is actually flea poop and it looks like black dandruff if you find some black flaky material on your cat you can place it on a paper towel and wet it to see if it is flea dirt flea dirt will turn red when it is wet because their poop contains vinance of blood you can also comb your cat with a flea comb flea Combs are usually made of metal and have very fine teeth when you comb out your cat with a flea comb closely examine the fur that gets trapped in the comb for signs of life leas and or fleeter sometimes only a small amount is present on your cat and combing them out allows you to get a more thorough sample if you have confirmed that your cat has fleas it's time to come up with a treatment plan to get rid of fleas you will need to treat your cat your home and pets in the home even if you haven't seen fleas on them the best flea treatment will combine multiple cat safe ingredients to kill adult fleas lar and flea eggs you will also need to clean the house thoroughly to remove fleas cocoons and flea eggs from the environment to prevent reinfection here are a few ways to start your cat's flea treatment you can start by giving your cat a flea bath with either a medicated champoo made specifically for cats or with a mild soap such as Dawn just make sure that you rinse it thoroughly out of their skin use lukewarm water and slowly lower your cat into the water to see how they tolerate it you can also give them medication that will kill life fleas talk to your vet about obtaining that medication after the bath use a flea comb to remove adult fleas and eggs combing your cats fur out daily will reduce the number of fleas and eggs on your cat as well as in the environment the flea comb should have fine teeth make sure anything you brush out of your cat is taken outside so eggs don't end up in your home again the next step is critical in getting rid of fleas flea eggs can be found in the environment just waiting to start the cycle all over again so they need to be removed from carpets furniture and any bedding this means washing any fabric materials such as dog beds blankets couches and your personal bedding carpets should be vacuumed frequently and ideally steam cleaned hardwood floors should also be vacuumed and mopped to remove the fleas that may be in the cracks of the floorboards yes you should definitely visit the vet if your cat has Fleet the home remedies we just talked about shouldn't be your cat's only treatment the best treatments for cats are oral or topical flea medications that kill fleas at as many life stages as possible and prevent further infestation make sure to only use flea products made specifically for cats some flea products made for dogs are toxic to cats so avoid any medications that have the insecticide prometh in it all of the pets in your home should also be placed on regular flea preventatives fleas can also carry other pesky parasites with them so it's important to contact your vet if your pets have fleas and ensure they are checked and treated for any other infections too there are different types of preventative such as oral tablets topical medication and flea collar talk to your Ved about which option is the best fit for your cat all cats should be on flea preventives year round if you do get hit with a flea infestation it's going to take a lot of work to get those pesky Critters off your pet and out of your home but you're not alone lots of pet parents have gone through this and with some elbow grease help from your veterinarian and flea prevention plan for the future you and your pets can get back to a flea-free existence hopefully these tips can help you get there thanks for watching and see you next time