Sprays, Powders and Shampoos: Oh Meow!

Cat fleas are the cause of more than one headache, especially if they keep coming back. Once they have made their way into your yard and house they are quite difficult to totally remove. Using sprays, powders, and shampoos can help you get rid of flea problems and keep them away.

Some flea information

Although you may see fleas as just being a nuisance, there are other reasons why you want to get rid of them before the problem gets too bad. Fleas can cause anemia, tapeworm, and some cats are even allergic to flea bites, so it really is in the best interest of you and your cat to take care of the problem before it starts.

The truth of the matter is that your cat probably has very few actual fleas on them. Only 5% of fleas actually live on your cat; 10% are pupae, 35% are larvae, and half or 50% of them are the eggs. If you leave them untreated the problem will only get worse. Luckily, there are several different ways to prevent and get rid of fleas if you find them. Sprays, powders, shampoos, and dips are a few of the choices you have when it comes to flea treatment. Finding the one that works best for your cat is the tricky part though.

1. Sprays and Powders: There are several different sprays and powders on the market today that will kill and repel adult fleas. Make sure you wear gloves when using the product and follow the instructions on the label. Powders work much the same as sprays do, however they can cause the coat to dry out which can be irritating to the cat's oral and respiratory mucosa.
2. Shampoos and dips: Shampoos and dips are not the best methods of getting rid of fleas, but if it's all you have then by all means try it. Flea shampoos contain insecticides that will kill adult fleas on the pet, but once it is rinsed away it stops working. If there are eggs, larvae, or pupa on your cat they can still hatch and you will just have to do it over and over again. Keep in mind that a good flea killer will also act as a preventative medicine.
3. Flea combs: This is another way of getting rid of flees, but they are not overly effective. They will only get between 10-50% of the fleas on your cat and you will most likely have to go over it repeatedly to finish the job. If you decide to use this method then you will need the comb, a bowl of water with detergent in it, and petroleum jelly. The jelly is applied to the comb to make the fleas stick. Once you comb through the coat one time dip it into the detergent water to drown the fleas.
4. Flea collars: There are several different types of flea collars on the market that will do a good job of killing adult fleas around the head and the neck. Some contain insecticides that will kill the flea, and others contain IGR's which can kill the eggs and larvae as well. They are good at killing the fleas around the head and neck, but won't get the ones further down the body.
5. Oral suspensions: There is a type of program that can be given to cats via oral suspensions once a month. The product is absorbed into the bloodstream so that when a flea bits the cat it ingests the active ingredient which also passes to her eggs and prevents them from hatching. However if your cat already has fleas, you will need to also us an insecticide as this product will not kill the already existing ones.

There are several options including sprays, powders and shampoos when it comes to treating and preventing fleas. Sometimes it takes a few tries to figure out which one works best for your cat.

Price: Sprays, powders, shampoos, dips, insecticides, adult_fleas, eggs, larvae, kill, flea_combs, flea_collars, oral_suspensions, flea_bites, bloodstream

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