Am I A Terrible Cat Mom?

[Kal_shadowsmom]

I'm beating myself up right now. Shadow has fleas.

She was at the vet a month ago for her skin irritation and even after the visit she didn't improve as much as she should have. The visit didn't go well. The vet tech scruffed shadow, which I didn't like, and then the vet took her out of my sight, which I also didn't like...then she gets fleas. I didn't want to put a topical flea medicine on her because I was afraid it might have been part of the skin irritation, not knowing all of the allergies she may have, so I stupidly skipped a month.

I'm taking her to another vet next week and have started the assault on the fleas with home treatments and frontline.

I just feel awful.I don't feel like I am doing the best for her right now, and I should have seen the signs sooner.

 

[kashmir64]

Fleas are hard to spot, unless your cat is white. Don't beat yourself up. I'm glad you're getting a new vet. Scruffing my cat would have caused a riot. Until you go to the new vet, you can always use a flea comb and drown them in blue Dawn dishwashing soap and water. Something about Dawn kills them.
Good luck with the new vet and the fleas and give yourself a break. This is the time of year for fleas and parvo. Sometimes even with the best we can do- it still happens. You are getting it taken care of and that's all that matters.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
You are so NOT a terrible cat mom. An awful mom wouldn't care enough to come here to this site, to find another vet, to know the signs and to handle the nasty little critters.

Bless your heart for dealing with it all - it was a murphys law thing, and a vet clinic that perhaps could have done better.

Hang in there, and I'm very glad your cat has you!!

 

[Kal_shadowsmom]

Thank you both kashmir64 and Furballsmom

I've been beating myself up to the point that I was sick to my stomach.

The kicker is, I've been checking her a few times a week for fleas with a flea comb and even yesterday I didn't see anything on the comb. It wasn't until a lil bugger was on my arm today that I went into panic mode.

I just really hate that she's all itchy and irritated.

Hopefully the new vet will be a bit more interactive and actually help the issues and not just put a stop gap in them.

Thank you again guys, I really needed someone to help alleviate the doubt in my own head.

 

[Father of furbabies]

I have used capstar for cats to help give relief to my cats due to the dogs bring some fleas into the house from outside. The dogs have flea meds on them but those bugs will ride in then jump off.

I crushed up a pill and mixed it into a small bite of wet food. I did it for both of the kits. It causes them to scratch as the fleas bite them but within hours any adult flea on them is dead. Some cats have reactions to it but none of mine have yet.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Kal_shadowsmom]

I have used capstar for cats to help give relief to my cats due to the dogs bring some fleas into the house from outside. The dogs have flea meds on them but those bugs will ride in then jump off.

I crushed up a pill and mixed it into a small bite of wet food. I did it for both of the kits. It causes them to scratch as the fleas bite them but within hours any adult flea on them is dead. Some cats have reactions to it but none of mine have yet.

I was debating on getting the Capstar today in addition to the frontline. I didn't know if you could use both together, and it being a weekend I wasn't able to call my inept vet.
Shadow has terrible allergies to flea bites and will be itchy until the prednisolone kicks in. Hopefully she doesn't have another skin infection, because it seems those set in fast with her. If she does, she won't get any relief until the vet visit and the antibiotic.

I'm hoping for the best though.I may still get the Capstar if it can be used with the frontline.

 

[Margret]

Something about Dawn kills them.

I think it breaks the surface tension, so the fleas actually drown, but that's just a guess. If I'm right, however, just about any soap would probably work the same way.

Don't put too much Dawn into the water, and don't beat it to a froth; you don't want bubbles, which have their own surface tension.

Margret

 

[Father of furbabies]

I've used Capstar with various topical flea meds with no bad reaction on my animals. I gave them capstar then the next day, I applied the flea meds. Capstar breaks down and becomes inert in the animals system after a day or two based on what I read and experienced.

 

[Kal_shadowsmom]

I've used Capstar with various topical flea meds with no bad reaction on my animals. I gave them capstar then the next day, I applied the flea meds. Capstar breaks down and becomes inert in the animals system after a day or two based on what I read and experienced.

Very good to know. We will be hitting the 24 hour mark with the frontline tomorrow afternoon (Sunday), but I'll give her a combing and see where we are at.

I think it breaks the surface tension, so the fleas actually drown, but that's just a guess. If I'm right, however, just about any soap would probably work the same way.

Don't put too much Dawn into the water, and don't beat it to a froth; you don't want bubbles, which have their own surface tension.

Yes, that's basically the way it works. I'll be giving her daily combing with Dawn...If she'll let me.haha

 

[Mother Dragon]

I was debating on getting the Capstar today in addition to the frontline. I didn't know if you could use both together, and it being a weekend I wasn't able to call my inept vet.
Shadow has terrible allergies to flea bites and will be itchy until the prednisolone kicks in. Hopefully she doesn't have another skin infection, because it seems those set in fast with her. If she does, she won't get any relief until the vet visit and the antibiotic.

I'm hoping for the best though.I may still get the Capstar if it can be used with the frontline.

Frontline is now only minimally effective against fleas because they've developed a tolerance for it. Bayer Advantage II is much better. It lasts for months on our cats.

You might want to try Siphotrol spray for the fleas in the house. It kills both live and pre-emergent fleas so you flea problem is quickly gone. Our vet uses it and recommended it to us. He said he went to a seminar on flea hatchings. Both vibration and warmth will make them hatch. The speaker put a jar of flea eggs on something that vibrated. Within less than twoThat means that ordinary vacuuming might cause even more fleas. All you do is spray the Siphotrol on the carpet and even furniture and let it dry. Then you can vacuum. It continues to work for months. Great stuff!

I hope Shadow feels much better soon.

 

[rgwanner]

I agree with previous comments. I would use blue Dawn if you can. If not Capstar works great. I don't like mixing meds, personally. All flea meds have strong chemicals and I do not like to mix them.

I just want to say that you are definitely NOT a bad cat mom, you are going to a lot of trouble to treat your furkid. Fleas are easy to miss. They can be brought in on your shoes or slacks even if your cat is indoor only.