Flea Medication For Indoor Cats?

[danteshuman]

Do indoor only cats need flea medication? My boys went years with out flea medication and never had a flea (expect the ones Dante came with and 2 baths later he was flea free and running around our condo.) They even went outside on our "yard" I would call it a concrete alley with flower beds, for 30-60 minutes a day. It wasn't until I moved here with the wild card cat that runs around the neighborhood (at the time there was a dog to) that I started giving them flea medication every month.

So if your cats are indoor only (assuming there are no dogs or indoor & outdoor cats) do your cats need flea medication? Any tips on how to kill those dreaded nemesis?

 

[mokapi]

My cats are indoor-only and no, I don't treat them for flea medicine. I prefer to not put chemicals on my cats unless I absolutely have to do so! I use a shampoo called Charlie Dog on my dog, which has oils that repel fleas and mosquitoes, and despite living in a wooded backyard and frequent walks, he's never brought in fleas. I suppose I'd use that on my cats, too, if I felt they really needed something (it's cat-safe).

 

[susanm9006]

Indoor cats won't get fleas unless they are in contact with an outdoor cat or dog or if you moved homes and the previous owners left behind fleas. But you can check your cat for them by looking at their fur right at the skin, looking for moving fleas or tiny black specs of flea dirt. If you don't see these there is no need to treat for fleas

 

[Lalka]

indoor, no. if they go out, they could attract a random cat with fleas.

 

[mewcatmew]

My cat is an indoor only cat and I do not use flea medication. You only have flea issues if the cat goes outside. If your cat is 100% indoor only, then don't worry about fleas.

 

[MizLizzie]

We do heartworm 9 months a year but not flea treatment. And I worry, honestly, about the Heartguard. Keep chemical exposure to a minimum, is my advice, and deal with fleas if and when you must -- which will likely be never. Good luck.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

There's a lot to be said for decreasing chemical exposure.

But I think much depends on where you live, the prevalence of fleas for your area for the current year, and if your cat or you can pick up or track in any flea eggs, etc., from outside.

I live in an apartment building where cats are allowed and meant to be indoor only, but you just never know if any apt. unit has any fleas (for whatever reason) that could have any chance of spreading through the hallways via people's shoes. I actually leash walk my cat in the carpeted hallways about five mornings a week (she's rehabbing from knee surgery that happened last summer), and I just don't know if she is exposed to fleas or whatnot. It's a great building, clean, etc., but fleas aren't particular.

I also have concerns over mosquitoes (and heartworms/lungworms gaining a foothold in my cat via mosquitoes), so if the mosquito count is high, the flea count in the city is high, I have a cat strolling around an apartment hallway... I might dose my cat with Revolution for 1-3 months during the summertime at the least, even though she is indoor only.

 

[LTS3]

I live in an apartment building where cats are allowed and meant to be indoor only, but you just never know if any apt. unit has any fleas (for whatever reason) that could have any chance of spreading through the hallways via people's shoes. I actually leash walk my cat in the carpeted hallways about five mornings a week (she's rehabbing from knee surgery that happened last summer), and I just don't know if she is exposed to fleas or whatnot. It's a great building, clean, etc., but fleas aren't particular..

You can unknowingly bring in fleas on your clothing, bags, etc.

My cats are indoor only but they still get a monthly flea preventative.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Not to mention, I live in a neighborhood filled with dogs and their dog-walkers, and I myself walk every morning out on the sidewalks where the rest of dog-dom and humanity spends a lot of time. Fleas hitch rides on dogs a lot more than on cats, I should think. Who knows what gets tracked in if I'm not careful!

 

[cheeser]

We've usually focused most of our flea control efforts on treating just about everything but the cats themselves, and since we weren't finding any fleas or flea dirt on them with a flea comb, we thought we had the issue under control.

Oopsie. Somehow, unbeknownst to us, some fleas managed to sneak into the house anyway. Then one of our cats developed a flea allergy and started scratching like crazy, and a tiny little break in the skin was like rolling out the welcome mat for a staph infection.

Do we use flea medications for our indoor only cats now? You betcha!

 

[kittens mom]

Because my neighbors are poor stewards of their animals care , cats and dogs we flea treat our indoor only cats during the warmer months. Fleas will get on your clothing especially if you have loose roaming pets in your area. We had one unpleasant infestation that wasn't healthy for the cats or us. I would love to send the bill to my neighbors since they run a flea circus.