Just Found A Flea On My Cat :(

[erikaash27]

So I was petting Milo and felt something small and hard in his fur. Pulled it out and it was a little black speck that was hard. And then I found a another one on his head. So then I started examining his fur near his head/face and I saw a little black thing crawling..

Last time we put flea treatment on him, he started foaming at the mouth cause somehow he managed to get it in there. So I haven't put it on him for a while cause that was real scary. But now obviously I'm going to immediately.

My question is, now that he has fleas is it possible that he has tapeworms? I know fleas carry tapeworm eggs. Does every flea carry tapeworm eggs? Or is it just some of them?

Also, when I put the medicine on him will this take care of the problem? I don't think he has that many, but I really don't know. Never have I dealt with a flea issue before so I don't really know much about what I need to do.

Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[maggiedemi]

If you use something like Frontline, it should take care of all the fleas for a month. Try to put it on the back of the neck between the shoulder blades or a little higher so he can't reach it. It takes a few tries to get it exactly right, I had to practice a few times before doing it. I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but one time I grabbed too much fur in my hand and when I let go, the Frontline drops were on the side where he could lick it. Just part the fur and try to put it right there between the shoulder blades on the skin. Yes, I would use a de-wormer like Drontal a week or so later if you can, in case he has any worms.

 

[adrianne259]

Ugh, fleas are the worst. As maggiedemi said, try to put the spot on on his back where he can't get to it. In my case, I put it on her neck, very near to her head so there is absolutely no way she can get to it. You can also try using something that kills both fleas and worms, like Broadline or Advocate. They kill fleas of all sizes, as well as intestinal worms. Also, I'd recommend thoroughly cleaning your house to make sure you get all the fleas out.

 

[erikaash27]

If you use something like Frontline, it should take care of all the fleas for a month. Try to put it on the back of the neck between the shoulder blades or a little higher so he can't reach it. It takes a few tries to get it exactly right, I had to practice a few times before doing it. I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but one time I grabbed too much fur in my hand and when I let go, the Frontline drops were on the side where he could lick it. Just part the fur and try to put it right there between the shoulder blades on the skin. Yes, I would use a de-wormer like Drontal a week or so later if you can, in case he has any worms.

Thanks! do I get Drontal from the vet?

 

[erikaash27]

Ugh, fleas are the worst. As maggiedemi said, try to put the spot on on his back where he can't get to it. In my case, I put it on her neck, very near to her head so there is absolutely no way she can get to it. You can also try using something that kills both fleas and worms, like Broadline or Advocate. They kill fleas of all sizes, as well as intestinal worms. Also, I'd recommend thoroughly cleaning your house to make sure you get all the fleas out.

Yeah I put it in an area where I don't think he can get to, but last time I thought the same thing and he still got to it lol. He's flexible I guess! So I put a cone on him and I'm going to leave it on him for a couple hours while it dries. I already used Advantage II before you replied and I don't think that one kills intestinal worms ugh. thanks for your help!!

 

[orange&white]

Yes, you can get Drontal from your vet (should be $10/pill), or you can buy a product with fenbendazole as the active ingredient (Panacur/SafeGuard/PetAmor) over the counter.

I'd wait a couple weeks after you're sure the fleas are gone to give the wormer. It takes a long time for tapeworm eggs to actually develop into tapeworms and you want to make sure the flea issue is over.

Is he an indoor cat? If he goes in and out, he'll probably need the flea treatment once a month, or at least during the warmer months.

 

[erikaash27]

Yes, you can get Drontal from your vet (should be $10/pill), or you can buy a product with fenbendazole as the active ingredient (Panacur/SafeGuard/PetAmor) over the counter.

I'd wait a couple weeks after you're sure the fleas are gone to give the wormer. It takes a long time for tapeworm eggs to actually develop into tapeworms and you want to make sure the flea issue is over.

Is he an indoor cat? If he goes in and out, he'll probably need the flea treatment once a month, or at least during the warmer months.

Okay! I will wait then. Yes, he's only an indoor cat. One of my friends recently gotten a kitten and I'm wondering if that kitten has fleas and I carried them on me. Planning on applying flea treatment once a month from now on.

 

[maggiedemi]

Drontal de-wormer is $8 a pill here in NY last time I asked. But it ends up being $24 per cat since I do a second dose 3 weeks later and my cats are over 9 pounds. Yeah, probably best to have the vet do it, unless you know how to use a pill gun, since Drontal tastes nasty according to my cats!

 

[erikaash27]

Well, I took the cone off of him andddd of course somehow he managed to lick the medicine. Is he going to be okay?

 

[maggiedemi]

Did you put it up between the shoulder blades or more to the side? It's hard to get in the exact right spot where they can't reach it. I think he'll be okay, but just keep an eye on him tonight. Did you put the cone back on?

 

[erikaash27]

Did you put it up between the shoulder blades or more to the side? It's hard to get in the exact right spot where they can't reach it. I think he'll be okay, but just keep an eye on him tonight. Did you put the cone back on?

I'm pretty sure I put it in between the shoulder blades, but some of it got on his fur and not directly on the skin, so I think that's how he got to it. No I didn't, he was so depressed with it on and wouldn't even move so I felt really bad and realized no matter how long I keep it on he will still end up licking the spot lol. He only licked it about twice and to my knowledge, hasn't done it since. He seems to be acting fine: he's eating/drinking, playing, and he's gone to the bathroom. I'll definitely keep an eye on him though.

 

[erikaash27]

I have been brushing him a lot and have managed to kill 3 fleas. I vacuumed the whole place and then looked at my comforter that so happens to be white, and there was flea poop all over it! Ugh. So I immediately washed it. I feel like this happened so quickly.

 

[maggiedemi]

Another tip is to try to put it on when they are sleepy or about to take a long nap, so they leave it alone. Yeah, even indoor cats can get fleas, especially here in the country, they can come in on our shoes. That's why they say to use the drops once a month.

 

[adrianne259]

I just remembered, a friend of mine mentioned that her cat had a reaction even though she didn't actually lick the product. As with everything else, there is a chance of an unwanted reaction, so maybe that is the case here? Have you asked the vet about it? Also, they are cunning little beasts, mine uses her back leg to scratch at the spot, and then licks the leg, instead of the neck But she never had any negative reactions...