Cat Flea Treatments
If you observe that your cat scratches itself often, this might be an indication that it has fleas. A flea infestation should not be taken lightly. This parasite can cause a number of health problems in your cat so you should seek cat flea treatment the moment you detect it.
How do cats get fleas? A cat’s fur easily picks up flea eggs from random surfaces. The flea eggs either remain on the cat’s fur or get deposited in the carpet or couch fibers. Fleas in their larval stage are very resistant to environmental stress, which means they are able to withstand various conditions. Eventually, the eggs hatch and the fleas live as parasites on your cat.
The bite of a flea can give your cat flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), a skin disease caused by allergic reactions to the flea’s saliva. A cat with FAD may develop skin problem complications such as military dermatitis, feline eosinophilic granuloma complex, and alopecia or hair loss. Cats that are infested with so many fleas can lose a lot of blood and become anemic, and when they are left untreated, they can eventually die.
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What cat flea treatments can you choose from? There are actually several different kinds of treatment available: shampoo, dip, flea spray and powder, oral medication, and flea collar. A cat flea shampoo is the most common treatment used against flea infestation. However, cats are not very fond of taking a bath, so giving this treatment may prove to be more difficult than it seems. Furthermore, flea shampoos, in order to be effective, are used at least once a week, which means your cat will face the ordeal of bathing often.
A flea dip is a formula that contains strong ingredients to kill fleas, ticks, and mites. As the name suggests, this cat flea treatment is not used like a shampoo; instead, it is used as a rinse. It has a more potent effect on fleas than shampoo does. Thus, it can be used less often than shampoo.
Flea sprays and flea powders give temporary relief from fleas for a few days to a week. These products are very convenient to use and are easy to bring along. However, because their effect is not as long-lasting as other cat flea treatments, not many people use them.
Oral medicines can also be administered to your cat to treat the flea infestation. Usually, these medications release a chemical in the cat’s blood that, when ingested by fleas, will cause them to lay dead eggs. The fleas will not be able to increase in number anymore. These medications are best taken with a flea shampoo or dip, as they do not kill existing adult fleas.
Flea collars are likewise effective in getting rid of fleas. They work by releasing a gas that’s poisonous to the fleas. The chemicals in the flea collar also get deposited on the cat’s skin, killing fleas that are near the cat’s head and neck. Not all cats take well to flea collars, though.
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