Flea Treatment for Cats
It is vital that your cat receives regular flea treatments as not only are the little critters an absolute nuisance to your cat who will suffer from unbearable itching and discomfort, but they are also likely to start appearing around your home if they are not dealt with quickly. When a cat is suffering severely from flea bites, excessive itching can cause the cat’s skin to thicken and the hair to fall out and the exposed, raw skin is prone to bacterial infections. Furthermore fleas spread other nasty conditions such as tapeworms, particularly in kittens.
The life-cycle of a flea is as follows:
Eggs are laid on the host – in this case a cat. Some eggs remain on the host, others fall out and land on carpets, in your bed, on the cat’s bedding etc.
The eggs hatch and larvae materialize. These feed on the feces left by the adult fleas that laid them and continue growing.
The larvae then make a cocoon for themselves in which they continue to grow into adults. At this stage they are called pupae. When they emerge they are fully grown adults and as such begin laying eggs on a host etc.
When dealing with fleas it is important to ensure every stage of the life-cycle is dealt with in order to clear the infestation completely.
To get rid of the eggs, larvae and pupae wash all bedding belonging to the cat and every member of the family. Vacuum all mattresses too. Vacuum carpets on a daily basis and even consider steam cleaning them. If the problem is severe, a flea bomb treatment could be used.
To be rid of adult fleas you should use a flea comb on your cat and as the comb picks up a flea, shake it into a bowl of diluted bleach in which the flea will die very quickly. Then the cat should be washed thoroughly with a special flea shampoo if possible.
Prevention is always better than cure when dealing with fleas, so make sure your cat is washed, combed and groomed from head to toe on a regular basis to stop fleas adopting your pet as their host.
