Don’t panic - although not nice to have, fleas can be treated and prevented from future infestations. The main thing is that you act quickly to ensure the infestation is controlled and they don’t further irritate their skin.
Wait - my cat is indoor only, it can’t have fleas, right?
Even if they can’t go outside and catch fleas themselves, fleas can easily be brought into your home on the clothes, bags or belongings of you and any visitors who have come into contact with cats with fleas. Prevention is always better than cure!
So what can I do now?
There are a number of steps you can take to get the fleas under control:
Use a cat flea treatment on all cats in the household - we recommend Bravecto Plus which we can prescribe for you to make sure your pet is getting the right dose. This kills the active fleas on your cat. Never use a dog flea treatment on a cat - cats and dogs can have different species of fleas so the treatment may not work and the ingredients can be extremely toxic to cats.
The fleas you see on your cat represent only 5% of the flea infestation - the other 95% are actually living in the environment. The fleas lay their eggs on the cat and these eggs roll off where they stay and hatch. This means you need to treat your home as well as your pet.
Oh no! Do I need to call pest control?
Not immediately. Most infestations can be controlled by yourself. To treat your environment:
Vacuum once a week for at least 4 weeks - the eggs and fleas like to find dark, warm spaces to live in so make sure you are really (really!) thorough. Think between the floorboards, deep in the carpet, under the sofas. Even the spot where your cat jumps down off the sofa will need a thorough clean as jumping can cause the eggs to fall off.
Use an insecticidal spray such as Indorex; this will kill the adult fleas for up to 2 months after spray, and will also prevent the eggs from hatching.
Can I get fleas from my cat?
Cat fleas cannot live or breed on humans. However, they can bite. If they do, you may have some red, itchy bumps on your skin - commonly on legs, feet and ankles.
I don’t want fleas again… what can I do in the future?
You must make sure your pet is up-to-date with their flea (and worming) treatments. For most pets, this means using a spot-on or oral product every 1-3 months as recommended by your vet. Also continue to use Indorex (or another insecticidal spray) every 1-2 months to make sure your home is free from fleas.