Be Careful About Cats Bringing Fleas In

We've had only one problem with fleas and luckily that was a few years ago now. It was extra annoying in our case because the cat never *ever* goes outside and is never around other animals that may have fleas to transfer... so it was quite a mystery until we talked to her vet.

The vet told us that people don't often realize that fleas can be brought in on human shoes, pant legs, socks, etc. As soon as I heard that, I understood... there are rabbits and squirrels in our yard constantly and I often see them scratching.

Until this happened, I didn't think we had the need for flea medicine, but since those critters are out there and we walk around there, we've had to use the flea drops during the warm months.

I would be careful with the flea drops. Shortly after we first found our cat (she was a stray), we put a chemically treated flea collar on her. It was meant to keep the whole of her free of fleas. It only needed to be replaced every few months so it should have been a convenient solution. Since we had a dog already (and later found another), it did seem possible that we would end up with fleas in the house. In fact, none of our dogs ever had fleas despite frequent contact with other dogs and walks in many local parks. Perhaps the local climate was not conducive to the life cycle of the flea. Certainly, it was not the result of any particularly conscious effort on our part. Anyway, the collar we put on the cat gave her a terrible chemical burn. It was so severe that some of her coat never grew back again. It was not immediately visible after a while because the hair around it covered it up. However, there was always a patch on her neck, which stayed bald permanently. This happened before I was born so I do not know whether it caused her any discomfort. I imagine it cannot have been pleasant for her though.

Thank you for the advice. We also have had bouts of mystery flea infestation with our cat and although we had the vet prescribe an anti-flea product we were at a loss how our cat got fleas. What drops were those if you don't mind me asking? It seems less harmful then the collar so I might try it the next time it happens.

(05-04-2013 09:19 AM)trishgl Wrote:  Thank you for the advice. We also have had bouts of mystery flea infestation with our cat and although we had the vet prescribe an anti-flea product we were at a loss how our cat got fleas. What drops were those if you don't mind me asking? It seems less harmful then the collar so I might try it the next time it happens.

I don't mind your asking at all. When it happened for us with the "mystery fleas" (good term there, trishgl!) and we went to see the vet, what they used was Advantage II. We've just kept using that because it was vet-recommended. Our cat doesn't have a really long and shaggy coat, but it's not real short either. The drops get put onto the middle of the back of the neck (the applicator can be pushed close to the skin where it works).

I can't say that the kitty enjoys having that wet spot at her neck and she tries to lick it off (can't reach it being at the back of her neck like that fortunately) but I've heard stories about the collars like another poster mentioned here, so we're happy to stick with the drops.

(05-04-2013 03:13 AM)GavinMcresty Wrote:  I would be careful with the flea drops. Shortly after we first found our cat (she was a stray), we put a chemically treated flea collar on her. It was meant to keep the whole of her free of fleas. It only needed to be replaced every few months so it should have been a convenient solution. Since we had a dog already (and later found another), it did seem possible that we would end up with fleas in the house. In fact, none of our dogs ever had fleas despite frequent contact with other dogs and walks in many local parks. Perhaps the local climate was not conducive to the life cycle of the flea. Certainly, it was not the result of any particularly conscious effort on our part. Anyway, the collar we put on the cat gave her a terrible chemical burn. It was so severe that some of her coat never grew back again. It was not immediately visible after a while because the hair around it covered it up. However, there was always a patch on her neck, which stayed bald permanently. This happened before I was born so I do not know whether it caused her any discomfort. I imagine it cannot have been pleasant for her though.

It is very common for cats and dogs alike to have reactions to flea collars. I have seen more treatments done on cats and dogs than I have ever cared to. It seems ridiculous that they sell these awful collars. I have found none to be safe for all dogs or all cats. The chemicals are far too concentrated on one particular area of the body and the chemistry of these chemicals does not allow for the spreading of the so called flea protection throughout the skin/coat of the animal.. Overall - flea collars suck!

People try to save money by purchasing cheap flea collars. The Vets offer far better and SAFER products - like the drops mentioned in other posts! It certainly doesn't hurt to keep your pets environment free of fleas and ticks thus reducing the transfer from outside to in.

How annoying. The easiest solution, really, is to just use a monthly preventative product on your cat, but fleas can still live in your environment and attack you instead. As far as preventatives go, I like to use Frontline but Advantage is good too. You might want to consider setting a flea bomb off in your house every few months just as a precautionary measure as well, and making sure you do a good vacuum regularly. Fleas are an ongoing nuisance, unfortunately, and there isn't really a quick fix that lasts forever.