Potential flea problem?

Kitty Beholder

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Hi, all. The other day my cat Kimmy was resting with my wife and we noticed a small bug on her. My wife claimed it was a flea, but other than this one instance, we haven't encountered any more. Both my cats are indoor only and do not have any interaction with outdoor animals. Both my cats groom themselves fairly often and a quick cursory search of Kimmy's hair doesn't yield any more of these 'fleas'.

Does this find necessitate a vet visit for both cats? Is it safe to assume that if one cat has fleas, the other does to? If I can avoid a 100+ dollar vet visit just to hear the vet say they don't have fleas, I would like to do so! Ultimately, I want what's best for my cats.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi! First, get a flea comb and comb both of them looking for more fleas as well as flea dirt. Put a fair amount of dish soap in a dish with water and use that to dip the flea comb into after each long stroke from head to tail, finishing with the tail. The soapy water will drown any flea you might find, and you can also tell whether or not there is any flea dirt on the based on the color of the soapy water changing to denote blood from the fleas biting your cats.

No need for a vet visit if you find any. You should be able to call your vet and ask them what flea treatments they recommend - ideally one that doesn't require a prescription that you can buy OTC. The quicker you act on this the better - as once the fleas start propagating they will be everywhere in your house, and the flea eggs will hatch a whole new set, repeat, repeat, repeat. In addition to the flea treatment, you should clean all their bedding, etc. in hot water in the washer. And, vacuum your house, especially where they spend a lot of time. To be on the safe side, the vacuum bag should be tossed - outside somewhere - in case there are any fleas/flea eggs sucked up in the vacuum.

Btw, Feeby is an indoor cat - although she does have access to a screened in patio, and she and I are battling fleas right now. Good luck!
 

sweet jane flash

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One of the problems with fleas it that if you see one there are probably more you do not see. If you have used a flea comb and can find none on either cat you still cannot assume they are flea free.
Fleas quite easily hitch hike in on humans. In my personal experience, I would much rather treat for fleas now than suffer the effects of possible full blown infestation as they can multiply quite rapidly. Flea infestations are misery. You do not have to go to the vet to get flea treatment. Depending on your location the vet should be able to tell you over the phone which brand product they recommend. Fleas have become resistant to quite a few of the available products, just depending where you reside.
Of course only you decide whether to treat or not, but it is the height of flea season right now. 🌺 :silver: 🌻 We'll keep our paws crossed!
 
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