Answer: Adult fleas spend only short period of time on a cat, just sufficient to obtain a meal of food, and therefore may not be found when looked for on the coat. If they are present, they are easily seen with the naked eye as small, dark brown insects moving swiftly over the skin, particularly at the base of the tail and behind the ears. It is more common to find evidence of their presence in the form of flea dirts, looking like specks of dirk grit, on the skin surface. These consist mainly of dried blood and can be distinguished from grit by the fact that if they are placed on a piece of damp cotton swab a red-brown stain spreads out from them over the dampened surface.
Fleas will be most numerous in the environment of the cat, which is where the female flea lays her eggs. This includes not only the cat’s basket and bedding, but also between floorboards, tails and sections of lion, in the pile of fitted carpets and even beneath skirting boards. Therefore, the successful removal of fleas requires a concerted attack: not only treatment of the cat itself, but also of other animals in the household and of the surroundings.
Many proprietary parasiticidal powders or sprays are available for the treatment of your cat, either from your veterinary surgeon or from a pet shop. If a spray is used take care to follow the instructions carefully; it is very easy to overdo the treatment if the animal lick off, or absorbs, an excessive amount of the spray it may be poisoned. Raise the hair by brushing it the ‘wrong’ way, and spray against the ‘lie’ of the coat from six to eight inches away fro up to three seconds-no longer, and avoid the eye and mouth. The hissing noise as the aerosol discharges often startles cats. If powders are used it is advisable to thoroughly dust them into the coat, again brushing the hair the ‘wrong’ way. Leave the powder in place for half an hour, during which time the animal should be watched carefully to prevent it licking its coat, and then brush out as much powder as possible. Putting the cat in a pillowcase with its head sticking out, or wrapping it in a towel for this half-hour may help to stop it licking.
It is possible to apply special insecticidal solution to the cat’s coat, but because these are not washed of afterwards there is always a risk of the cat licking in toxic amounts. Insecticidal shampoos are also available and since they are completely rinsed out these are less likely to prove harmful; their use may sometimes be advised prior to treatment with a powder or spray. Tablet treatments are available as well; the during in the tablets passes into the cat’s blood and kills any fleas which suck blood later. Because these drugs in large amounts are toxic to the cat, the tablet must be used with care and not employed at the same time as spray containing similar drugs. In general, they are not as satisfactory in eliminating fleas as the powders or sprays.
On soft furnishing and carpets the same parasiticidal powders can be applied and vacuumed off after half an hour, or an ordinary fly spay or special environmental spray (e.g. Nuvan Staykil) can be used. These sprays are particularly useful for penetrating crevices, but they should not be used directly on cats, and animals are best kept off treated areas for several days afterwards. Old bedding and baskets are best burned. In North America flea bombs, or ‘foggers’ are available which fill the atmosphere with insecticide, but with really severe infectious it is available to call in professional exterminators. Most local authorities can offer help or advice.
After the initial treatment, further treatments of the cat and its bedding are advisable, varying from twice a week to once every two weeks (depending on the preparation) to kill any fleas which have hatched out of eggs in the surroundings since the previous treatment.
