Vets in Bicester and Aylesbury caring for your pets

Fleas and your cat

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Pet care

Flea control

Fleas are only found on your cat for part of their lifecycle, while they are sucking blood from the skin. Fleas lay hundreds of eggs that drop off into the environment, especially in your home. These eggs hatch into larvae that feed on dead skin cells, in carpets and furnishings.The larvae form pupae which may hatch into fleas straight away or may lie dormant for many months in the carpets. New baby fleas climb to the top of the carpet fibres and lie in wait for the vibrations of oncoming creatures.

Why treat fleas

At best there will just be the itchy bites to cope with. However your cat could become allergic to the flea bites and develop “flea allergic dermatitis”, an itchy and scabby condition that also causes hair loss. Fleas can also transmit tapeworms and a blood parasite that can cause severe anaemia.

Flea treatments

These are divided into two categories:

those that kill the adult fleas on your pet before they have the chance to lay any eggs
those that stop the life cycle of the flea at the egg or larval stage so that new fleas do not hatch out and get onto your cat.

There are a lot of products and the choice can be bewildering, so please discuss the best package for your household with us.