Fleas can cause misery for you, your pet and anyone who sits on your sofa. Fortunately there’s plenty you can do to help keep your pet and your home protected.
Most cats will come into contact with fleas at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, our homes are ideal environments for the parasites to live and breed. When treating your cats for a flea infestation, you’ll need an effective flea treatment for your cat, and a good quality flea spray for your house!
Start with your pet
There are lots of different flea treatments available, including sprays, spot-ons, tablets and collars. The active ingredient in Advantage spot-on spreads throughout the skin of your cat, and is able to kill fleas on contact, so fleas don’t have to bite your pet to be killed.1 Fleas can cause serious skin disease in cats, so if you are worried that your cat has patchy fur or painful looking skin, or seems generally unwell, then get your vet to check them over.
Now move on to your house
An important part of treating a flea problem is tackling your house, as while adult fleas live on your pet, the rest of the flea life stages are found as eggs, larvae and pupae all around your home.
Vacuuming carpets and rugs, including under furniture can help get rid of some of the flea life stages that are lurking at ground level. Washing your cat’s bedding regularly (and yours too if your cat sleeps on your bed!) on a hot wash will help too.
Use a household flea spray to help kill the immature flea life stages that are present all around your home, including areas like sofas and curtains. It’s worth taking time to do this really thoroughly, and thinking about all the places your pet goes (including the car, under the bed, the sofa etc.).
Preventative treatments
Getting rid of fleas once an infestation has taken hold can be difficult and time-consuming. Fleas are not just an irritation, they can also carry diseases, and they’re quite happy to bite you or your family as well as your pets. Your best bet when it comes to the fight against fleas is to keep your pet protected with regular flea treatment.
Make sure you buy the appropriate product for your cat’s age and weight. Insecticides like imidacloprid in Advantage spread throughout the skin of your pet, and fleas don’t have to bite to be killed by the product.1 It’s recommended that Advantage is applied to cats and dogs monthly in order to help protect them against fleas. You can purchase without prescription from many pet stores.
Find out more about Advantage here.
1 This information is regarding mode of action and is not intended to imply fleas can be completely stopped from biting; Mehlhorn et al. Parasitol Res (2001) 87: 198-208