Although fleas are common skin parasites that are rarely serious, they can cause great harm and discomfort for your cat if left untreated. Your cat will likely have trouble falling asleep, and you’ll notice how it wakes up every few minutes to scratch behind an ear or vigorously lick itself in frustration. Fleas to cats feel like you’re constantly covered in itchy mosquito bites, and can develop more serious skin conditions if the parasites are not taken care of immediately.
Identify Fleas
If your cat has been scratching itself more often than usual, it’s best to identify the skin condition before you can continue to give your cat flea medication. Use a narrow comb and slowly comb your cat’s hair from the roots to tips. Do this multiple times in different areas, and see if the comb catches any fleas. If it doesn’t, then you might need to get your cat checked for other illnesses that may be the cause of the itching.
Choose the Right Flea Killer
You’ll find plenty of flea medicine in the market, which is not to be mistaken for lice medication meant for human use. If you’re unsure what to look for, use diatomaceous earth for cat fleas, or any other natural alternatives that are not toxic to your cats if ingested. Most medication is applied to the back of a cat’s neck, where it’s hard for their tongue to reach, but in many cases, cats will still end up ingesting at least a little amount.
Use Flea Killer on Every Pet
If you have more than one cat, you have to make sure to use the parasite killer on all of them. When you use it on only one pet, parasites that flee from your cat’s fur can easily infect another, and you’ll just end up chasing each one in a loop. Buy enough parasite killers for every pet in the household for the best results.
Remove the Source
Indoor cats can sometimes get fleas, but if it’s recurrent, then there must be a source that your cat has recently been exposed to. Limit your cat’s exposure to the outdoors, even if it’s just your backyard, as this is the most common cause of cat fleas. Otherwise, if your cat has recently been exposed to stray animals or other infected pets, this was likely the source of infection.
As a rule of thumb, never expose your cat to any questionable animals which are not taken to the vet on a regular basis. If you take your cat on a playdate with a friend, make sure to ask your friend when their cat has last been taken to the vet.
Cats that have been infected with fleas can cause great harm to themselves while they’re scratching an itch, which can develop into more serious skin conditions that require a vet’s attention. Always keep an anti-flea spray handy, or take your cat to the vet to get treated. Make sure you also remove any sources that may infect your cat, such as leaving the back door open or exposing your cat to stray animals.