The long cold winter is finally starting to give way to the coming of spring. Like most people, I look forward to the warmer weather and the blooming flowers. However, flowers are not the only thing that warmer weather brings, fleas will be popping up too. Preventing flea infestations on your cat and in your house is really important for the health of your pets and family. Stop infestations before they start because is a lot of work to get rid of them once they are there.
Tip #1: Keep your cat indoors.
Fleas live and breed outdoors (when they have a choice). Cats that go outside are at much greater risk of encountering fleas. Keeping your cat indoors could keep your cat from ever coming into contact with fleas.
Tip #2: Get flea treatments for all of your pets.
Stop a flea infestation before it starts!
There are a few ways that a cat that is kept indoors can become infested with fleas.
- If you have both cats and dogs, the dogs could bring fleas inside to your cats.
- Visiting pets could bring fleas into your home and transfer them to your cat.
- Fleas that happen to snag a ride on you or your clothing can also end up on your cat.
There are a variety natural and chemical (Frontline, Revolution, etc) flea prevention treatments available. Discuss a flea preventative treatment for your pets with your veterinarian. DO NOT use a treatment made for dogs on a cat. Some chemicals used in flea treatments for dogs are toxic to cats. Treating your all of your pets ensures that none of them will be bringing fleas into your home and that fleas will not be transferred to your pets.
Tip #3: Vacuum the floor and furniture.
Once fleas get in your home, they love to get into the carpet and on your upholstered furniture. Vacuuming can remove adult fleas and flea eggs from your flooring and furniture. Be sure to use the crevice tool and get all of the corners where fleas could hide. If you have reason to suspect that there may be fleas in your home, throw the vacuum bag away outdoors after vacuuming.
Tip #4: Machine wash the cat’s bedding.
Manna helping with the laundry
If there are fleas in your home, they are likely to congregate in areas your cats and other pets spend most of their time. Use high heat settings to machine wash and then dry your cat’s bedding. The heat can kill any fleas that have gotten onto the cat’s bed or blankets.
Tip #5: Keep the yard clean.
When outside, fleas like to live and breed in grassy and brush filled areas that are moist and out of the direct sunlight. Fleas won’t be as attracted to your yard if there is no tall grass or brush to hide in. Fewer fleas in your yard means few opportunities for outdoor pets to come into contact with them.
Great post and yes #1 is keep the cats indoors will save on a big headache.
Thank you! Personally, I think that keeping the cat indoors is one of the best preventative tips for anything with cats. It really does save a lot of headaches.
Very informative article keeping your cat inside is a good thing, and keeping the yard clean is a good idea too. 🙂
Thank you! I totally agree. You can save yourself loads of trouble by keeping the cat indoors. Cleaning the yard is good for your pets and for you – fewer bugs trying to get into your house.
Very true we think Henry has them at the moment so house and him are being treated 🙁
Poor Henry. Fleas are no fun. Cinco and Manna have never had fleas (well Manna did when we found her but they went away quickly), but growing up I had a dog that always had them. I had flea bites all over my legs. We will be praying and purring for you guys to get rid of them quickly.
Great info!
Thank you very much!
I have a natural powder for Lucky-Loulou who’s an indoor and outdoor tomcat… 🙂 it’s worked out for about 5 years, I “powder” him once a month, that’s all!
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for catlovers: 🙂
http://photo.geo.fr/le-meilleur-de-la-communaute-les-plus-belles-photos-de-chats-4760
That’s really cool. I always prefer natural treatments to chemical ones. I’m glad you found something that works for Lucky-Loulou.
Ugh… fleas are yucky!! (*shudders*) xxx Roxy & Tigerlino
I couldn’t agree more. Cinco and Manna haven’t had a problem with them, but my dad always has pets that have fleas. I got more than my share of flea bites growing up.
Great tips for keeping fleas under control. We live in Florida and it is practically a year round battle.
Thank you! I bet it is! The one good thing about Michigan winters is that they kill all of the bugs and you get a little break. My whole family lives in Florida though, so I’ve heard about the bug battles. I hope you guys are winning that battle!
Great information and tips.
Sheba.
Thank you! I hope that you don’t have to deal with fleas. They are no fun at all.
Nice post guys! Unfortunately, I’ve seen some cats who had dog flea treatment accidentally put on them by their humans. The cats became VERY sick from it.
Thank you! Hopefully people will learn that cats can’t always have what dogs can have. I’m sure it’s an issue of education. I feel bad for the poor kitties!
Pawesome tips! Fleas are really tough, and they seem to be getting more resistant to the old flea remedies.
Ann is right. It’s important that cats only get cat flea treatment, for their own safety.
Thank you! Yes, fleas are getting more and more resistant to treatments. I have noticed that in the past. Hopefully we humans will always be able to stay one step ahead of them. I think that cat owners really need to be educated about the problems with using products for dogs on cats. I agree with you 100%.
Great post! My cats are indoors, but we got a pretty bad flea infestation last year anyway. It was a nightmare to get rid of, so taking these preventative measures is a great idea!
Thank you! Fleas can strike when you least expect them. They were always in my house when I was growing up (we had all kinds of pets). Getting rid of them is soooo tedious. Preventing them is a lot easier than getting rid of them.
Another excellent post. Thank you.
You are welcome. I hope all of you are staying flea free! 🙂
Thankfully we don’t have fleas here. Apparently, Colorado is not a flea friendly place 🙂
These are really great tips for those who live in areas where fleas are common. When I lived in the midwest, we always gave our pets the preventive treatments, like Advantage to keep the fleas off of them.
I didn’t realize that fleas weren’t common in Colorado. That’s pretty cool. They are abundant here in Michigan. Luckily, for us they are mostly a seasonal problem. I’ve heard that Advantage works really well – better safe than sorry.
Regular bath for your pet cat would be basic but is very effective against fleas. Also, use proper shampoo to avoid irritations that would lead to flea attraction.
Very true. Baths can help stop a flea infestation before it can take hold of your cat. I will have to add that one next time I do a flea post. Thanks!
Cats are just as prone to fleas as dogs. These tips are very useful for cat owners like myself.
Thank you very much! You are right. Cats get them as much as dogs do – especially outdoor cats. Fleas spot them coming from miles away.