How Fleas Could Cause Other Health Problems in Kitties

Posted in Articles on 09/04/2009 03:08 pm by Guest Author

If you’ve seen your cat itching a lot lately or have reason to believe you may be experiencing a flea problem be sure you are aware of the secondary problems fleas can create. Unfortunately fleas can come with additional cat illnesses.

Some cats are allergic to fleas and they may experience an allergic reaction. Fleas may also be a carrier feline worms — specifically feline tapeworm — so a flea infestation can also cause a tapeworm infestation.

If you find out your cat has fleas the most important thing is getting rid of them. After you have treated for fleas you cat begin treating any other cat health problems the fleas may have produced.

Treating fleas effectively includes treating your cat, treating your home and the area outside where your kitty spends time. Since it encompasses so many areas you will need to weigh all the available treatments. If you have children, if your pets have reactions to traditional flea treatments or if you dislike like working with pesticides it might be a good idea to look for a natural flea treatment for your cat.

One of the more popular natural flea treatments is diaomaceous earth, a powder that dehydrates and kills fleas. Diatomaceous earth can even be used directly on your pets, you can also sprinkle it into the carpet, on furniture in your pet’s bedding etc.

If you are looking for a more conventional method one of the simplest to use is the once a month topical, that is placed on your cat’s back between the shoulder blades where she isn’t able to lick it. In addition you will also need to treat your house with something like a flea bomb or flea spray.

The other way to start eliminating fleas immediately is to vacuum every day and discard the vacuum bag. Vacuum your carpet, your furniture and any place your cat spends a lot of time in the house.

Always read and follow directions carefully with all flea control methods since they often contain ingredients that may be bad for pets and people when not used correctly.