In Edinburgh we’re enjoying unusually warm weather. It’s not just people who like this weather, cat fleas do to!
We won’t groom cats with fleas so please check your cat’s coat before making an appointment. If your cat is to be bathed, you should treat it for fleas a good week before bringing it to us.
If you don’t have a regular programme in place for treating your cat for fleas, please get a recommendation from your vet. Although quality flea treatments such as Advantage and Frontline are no longer require a prescription, we recommend you consult with your vet first. Other brands we recommend include Stronghold which does require a prescription.
It’s also worth knowing dog flea treatments are unsafe to use in cats – and can be lethal. Cheap flea treatments found on supermarket shelves and pet stores are not recommended. Care should also be taken when attempting to treat kittens for fleas as most preparations are unsuitable. Again veterinary advice is recommended, particularly as kitten fleas are a serious matter.
Flea collars aren’t recommended as the chemical can cause a reaction and they simply aren’t effective.
The cat flea’s life cycle is well documented. Once they are in your house they are very hard to get rid of. If you have a number of cats you may find you don’t get bitten. But if for any reason the cats are removed from your house (for example to go to a cattery), you may find any fleas in the house become very hungry! The difficulty of breaking the cycle is that fleas will lay eggs on your cat that then fall off and go on to become adult fleas! And so it goes on.
Generally with cat flea treatments you get what you pay for.
