A quick post before I gotta take off for my internship. My sweet, simpleminded Snuggleslut (pic herefrom her fun day at the vet when she failed at hopping a fence) has fleas. About a week ago I put some liquid medication between her shoulder blades but she licked up what she could instantaneously and drooled it out. Needless to say, the flea problem didn’t go away. She’s scratching herself to the point of having a lot of scabs and I still see fleas. Should I try to apply the medication again so soon? Has anyone tried other methods of getting rid of fleas that were successful?
I’ve written this before on the dope, but if your cat enjoys being combed, try a nit/lice comb. One of those fine toothed combs they sell to remove lice from human heads. You’ll also need a cup of white vinegar, and a lot of patience. Pick up kitty and comb her fur from nose to tail, pausing every little while to remove the trapped hair and fleas (drop them in the cuppa vinegar, and dip the comb in as well, to clean it up). You will have to do this regularly (say, once a day), as fleas are clever little buggers and can find all sorts of places to hide in kitty’s warm, furry coat. Over time, if your pet enjoys this exercise, it also serves as a nice bonding experience between cat and human.
Or you can buy the electrfied combs, which electrocute a flea when they come into contact with it. IME, most cats do not like the tingling sensation of this, but cats are weird and YMMV.
Yup, treat again with Frontline, Advantage, or Revolution and put it up high on the neck and right down next to the skin as much as possible. The grocery store brands really don’t work as well, and anything pyrethrin is very bad for cats.
If it’s really bad, you may need to give her a flea bath. This is not a fun activity, but neither is having the nasty buggies infesting your home as well as your cat.
If the cat comes indoors, get some flea spray that says it’s safe for cats and spray all the soft and hard surfaces where the cat goes. Wait a day, then vacuum. Dispose of the bag (if any) and repeat weekly for a few weeks.
When my kittys get fleas we give them a bath. Firm, very firm grip on the scruff of the neck. Warm water, and a cup to pour water over the cat. Flea shampoo bottle open and at the ready. Having an assistant helps too.
We recently switched from Frontline to Advantage because the Frontline wasn’t working.
The topical meds should go almost between their ears, so kitty can’t lick it up. Also - call your vet. there may be some oral meds that will work better.
Yea, there are some newer oral meds that may be easier for your cat to take. Also, topical meds in cats go higher up than in dogs, to prevent cats from licking at them.
Just yesterday I went and picked up 4 doses of Comfortis from the vet. Crush the pill and mix it with a little canned cat food. (Not more than the cat will eat at once.) The fleas start falling off, dead, within 20 minutes. Wonderful stuff. It’s about $15, lasts for 30 days.
I normally go with the flea bath method, but the fleas seem particularly bad this year. When I realized I had picked 100 fleas off of one cat, I decided that was enough. :eek:
If you choose to give her a bath, remember that you can’t use flea shampoo for dogs on a cat. (I called the 1-800# after I bought the shampoo. ) Their customer service told me to just use Dawn dish detergent.
Should I try to apply the medication again so soon? Has anyone tried other methods of getting rid of fleas that were successful?
) Their customer service told me to just use Dawn dish detergent.