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How Do Indoor Cats Get Fleas? Is It Possible To Prevent It?

How Do Indoor Cats Get Fleas? Is It Possible To Prevent It?

Fleas are tiny and annoying insects that jump fast. They suck blood from their hosts, often leaving a hole in the skin of their victims. If you want to know how to protect your cat from these tiny insects, read below.

Indoor cats can get fleas for several reasons. Some of these reasons are: getting close to an old couch or rug or getting involved with another wild animal infested with fleas. You can prevent fleas on your cat by using a protector recommended by your veterinarian.

Why Is My Indoor Cat Getting Fleas?

Aside from the reasons mentioned before, cats can also get fleas because of the following reasons:

  1. A rat infestation in your house: Rats and mice can bring flea infestations to your cats. Rats can carry fleas that can jump onto your cat’s skin.
  2. Hanging out with another pet: If you have another pet in your house, this can be the reason behind your cat infestation (especially dogs). Dogs are the main target of fleas.
  3. Pets that go outside: If your cat wanders outside often, they can get infected, even if it is for a short period of time. In addition, visiting a veterinarian’s office or leaving them out with street pets are sure ways to become infected.

How can I identify if my cat has fleas?

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Common symptoms that show that your cat has fleas:

  1. Visible fleas in your cat’s fur.
  2. Pale gums.
  3. Skin issues.
  4. Itchiness and excessive licking.
  5. Black dots in your cat’s fur.
  6. Red marks.
  7. Change of behavior.
  8. Your cat starts biting their tail and losing fur.
  9. Your cat feels upset or disturbed.
  10. Visible flea eggs (they look like small grains of rice).

How do you get rid of fleas in the house?

  1. Use caution when it comes to warm temperatures: Fleas love hot and humid places. Therefore, if it is possible, please maintain a considerable temperature inside your house.
  2. Buy a strong vacuum: As mentioned before, these insects tend to live in rugs or cozy spaces. If you get a strong vacuum, you can detach the fleas entirely.
  3. Do not give an old bed or pillow to your cat: If your cat sleeps in a small bed that you never wash, fleas can reproduce rapidly there. Instead, wash your cat’s bed or get a new one if it is too old.
  4. Apply strong chemicals: These chemicals can kill fleas immediately. But please, do not get a chemical that is too strong; it can cause harm to your cat as well.

How Can I Protect My Cat From Getting Fleas?

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Flea prevention medicine comes in many presentations: oral, spray, topical creams, and collars. In addition to medicine, make sure that your cat is well cared for and that you always watch where the cat is going. You need to be cautious about other animals getting close to your cat if you want to prevent fleas. Your cat’s fur is something that needs extra care, so please, always look carefully at it to spot any issues with it.

What Is The Best Flea Treatment For Indoor Cats?

There are a lot of treatments and preventative measures. Here is a brief list of some of the best medications for cats:

  1. Bayer Advantage II: It kills larvae and fleas. The product can last up to a month without any problems, and it works even if your cat gets wet.
  2. Comfortis chewable tablets for cats: It gets rid of fleas and prevents infestations.
  3. Revolution plus topical cream for cats: Vets often recommend this one for its effectiveness at the task at hand.

Please remember that these are a few recommendations or options, but you need to consult everything with your vet every time you plan to buy something for your cat. In addition, some cats are extremely sensitive, so please do not hesitate to consult their vet first.

How do you get rid of fleas on indoor cats?

Stick with flea medication as this is what helps the most. Flea tablets and topical treatments are a standard method of killing fleas. Another thing that is used for eliminating fleas is combs. They scratch your cat’s fur and can help you detect them with relative ease. It would help if you used a comb on clean skin and in a place with good lighting.

Some people recommend flea collars, and others say that these collars can be dangerous for your cat. So ask your veterinarian if your cat can get a collar if sensitive skin is not an issue.

Homemade remedies for getting rid completely of fleas on indoor cats

  1. Lavender: It does wonders for your cat’s skin because they like it. It gives a sweet sensation to your pet. It eliminates fleas but in a sensible way.
  2. Dish soap: Even if this sounds crazy, dish soap is not that bad for your cat’s skin, and people say that this works for fleas. The dish soap that people recommend is Dawn, but using this on your pet can be irritating. What we can recommend is using it to clean your house and spaces infested with tiny insects.
  3. Vinegar: Cats are not the biggest fans of the smell of vinegar. But this remedy is a classic.
  4. Baking soda: This one does wonders. You need to rub it in your rug or carpet and then vacuum everything neatly.
  5. Oregano oil: People mix it with olive oil and try to apply it topically to their cats. An alternative to oregano is salt. But add it to your pets’ skin only, and do not let any of these condiments get too close to your cat’s mouth.
  6. Herbal flea spray: This flea spray is good because it is made with ingredients that are not harmful to pets. In some cases, treatments can be too strong for a group of cats.
  7. Plants that fight off fleas: These plants are chrysanthemums, penny royals, spearmints, and more. Fleas do not like any of those.
  8. Citrus: Fleas die in citrus juice. But cats probably do not like this one too much because it is liquid. So it is preferable for you to spray your cat.

Should I Shave My Cat Because Of Fleas?

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You can shave your cat if you want to, but professionals only recommend flea treatments. Removing all of your cat’s fur does not ensure that the flea issue will be stopped. In addition, if you shave your cat’s skin, you can bring significant consequences. Some of those consequences are lack of body coziness, skin issues, permanent hair loss, among others.

Is It Cruel To Shave A Cat?

It all depends on the situation. For example, if your cat has an irremediable problem that needs to be treated, it is not cruel. But, in this specific situation, it is unnecessary because you can treat the issue without needing to shave your pet.

When you shave your cat without a valid reason, it could feel frightened or uncomfortable. This could also bring along possible trauma. So what we suggest is using flea treatments.

Conclusion

To conclude, please take care of your cat. You should not leave your pet unsupervised outdoors for an extended period of time. It is also important to remember that there are several ways to prevent fleas. After reading this, start following some of the suggestions mentioned, such as cleaning the house, especially rugs, carpets, and bedding. If your cat likes to go outdoors frequently, consider giving them flea prevention occasionally.