Flea bites cause irritation and in some cases cats become allergic to their bites; they will then scratch themselves, usually by excessive grooming, causing baldness, sores and scabs.Fleas feed on the cat’s blood, and occasionally a heavy flea burden in young kittens or weak cats can cause a life threatening blood loss. Fleas also transmit tapeworms.
Most cats, even indoor ones, are at risk of fleas. Jersey’s climate and the high concentration of pet cats and dogs in a relatively small area means that fleas are a big problem here.
Due to mild winters and most homes being centrally heated, it is important to maintain a flea control programme all year round.
There are two areas of flea control: your pet and its environment (that’s your home!):
Please use a vet recommended product such as Stronghold or Advocate on your pet, usually once a month. As with wormers, “over the counter” supermarket or petshop products, are often ineffective and occasionally cause problems with toxicity.
Environmental flea control is more important than treating your pet; 95% of a flea population is living in our homes deep in the pile of carpets and rugs, pet’s bedding, chairs, sofas, beds and microscopic cracks in the floor. As well as using sprays such as Indorex to treat this area, there is an excellent product called Program, which can be injected into your cat twice a year, or given as a medicine once a month. It effectively sterilises fleas, preventing flea eggs from hatching.
In summary:
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