Fleas On My Cat

[kittyloverjmf]

So my almost two year old indoor kitty apparently has fleas (the poor sweet girl is itching a lot, has white flecks all over her back, and there are black specks not only on her fur, but all over my bed as well (where she lounges pretty much 24/7)). At least some of the black specks do show up red when tested with the damp paper towel method. I don't know where she got them from, as she is an indoor only kitten, but I did visit a friend's house with dogs a few weeks ago, and share a duplex with a couple who has several cats, so I'm guessing it's one of those two options. My question is: what now? I have a vet appointment for her next Wednesday (the first I could get), but would like to know what, if anything, I can do to treat her and my home before then. I feel bad watching her itch so much, and I am concerned about an infestation getting out of control in the meantime as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!!!

 

[blumarine916]

Hi. It’s great that you detected the fleas so quickly so you can treat the problem before it gets bad.

Quickly get a dose of flea medicine on her. Brands like Advantage or Frontline are good. This should clear up the fleas on your cat in 24hours and also kill the eggs/larvae. Then you’d have to wash all your sheets, cat bedding and vacumm the carpets because fleas can also infest your entire house. I know this from experience when I suffered flea bites for 4 months when I first got my cat 7 years ago. I cleaned the house every day for a month until I was sure there aren’t any left lurking on my bed, sofa or carpet.

Since you mentioned about your neighbor with many cats, I’d suggest you keep doing the flea treatment monthly to keep the fleas at bay.

Good luck and hope everything goes well!

 

[abyeb]

I agree, the first step is to use Advantage or Frontline on your kitty. Also clean your house carefully, like Blumarine916 said. Wash everything that can be washed, and vacuum the carpets. Be sure to throw the vacuum bags away right afterwards, so that the fleas don’t find a way to crawl out.

This article is very helpful: Cat Fleas