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How to Get Rid of Fleas On My Cat

These are dark times my friends. The war against the invisible enemy has just begun! Yes, those cowards have planted their flag on Yoda’s back. “We live together, we die together” is our motto, we are now ready to organize the counter attack. We are spartans, we will not stop until victory!!! We will teach you here how to defeat the enemy and answer the terrible question: How to get rid of fleas on my cat ?

You will find in this article:

  • How to detect if your cat has fleas
  • Why does it need to be taken seriously
  • How we first reacted
  • How one should react: What to do
  • Final thoughts

How to detect if your cat has fleas?

looking for fleasAre you kidding me? Look at this poor kitty scratching everywhere and not knowing what to do with himself. You are the master commander, take control and check out the furry beast. Be methodical, check out every corner of this walking carpet and reveal the enemy.

2 Indications to Detect Fleas

  • The flea itself (hard to spot as it hides, runs and jumps very well!)
  • The “flea poop” (when fleas suck the cat’s blood, they digest it and release tiny black dots)

It took us a little while but Brittany was persistent enough to see one or two fleas running between Yoda’s fuuurrr + a lot a flea poop everywhere in his fur.

Why Fleas Are Dangerous

First because it is painful for your cat (if you’d seen Yoda scratching a few nights ago..). Second because your cat can become allergic to those fleas. The reaction would then be much stronger

  • Hair loss
  • Red dots on his scalp
  • Crusts behind the thighs
  • Ulcers of the upper lip
  • Digestive problems (caused by the ingestion of the flea itself)

If you have already noticed this kind of symptoms, go to the Vet! It does not happen in every case but better safe than sorry!

are you kitten me

How we first reacted : The mistake that cost us a battle

We freaked out a little bit! Seeing him scratch like that was pretty terrible.

Inexperienced as we were, we thought Yoda would rapidly recover from this attack. To help him, we used Advantage for cats. I really think it worked in the sense that it decreased the amount of fleas on his back and Yoda was scratching less. However, what we did not know is that the enemy had survived. Hidden in the darkest places of the house. Basically what we did not know is that fleas are not only on the back of your animal but everywhere where your cat is used to lay on.

How to get rid of fleas on my cat | Fluffy Kitty

If you do not take care of your house too, soon the enemy will retaliate.

Indeed, a few days later, Yoda was scratching again and we were back at the beginning.

What to do: how to get rid of fleas on my cat ?

Two steps, no more no less, but it is essential to do both otherwise your war against fleas will never end.

  • Clean your place
  • Clean your cat

And when I say clean I mean it’s a thorough, in depth cleaning. I know, I know, it takes a while but I guarantee you that there is no other way to get rid of them now and for good.

How to get rid of fleas on my cat : Clean your place

When you start, make sure you put your cat in a specific room (that you will need to clean later on as well). This way, your cat does not contaminate the areas you just cleaned.

how to get rid of fleas on my cat

  • Wash everything in your home that could potentially be contaminated (clothes, pet bedding…)
  • Use a vacuum cleaner in every area that you can, clean the dust. Long story short, clean the shit out of this place so that you could almost eat on the floor! Throw the vacuum bag away (if it has a bag) as soon as you are done (it’s now a nest for fleas!)
  • Pull out the big guns : Spray an insect growth regulator (IGR) on the place you just cleaned, this will help prevent the future fleas to develop.

Congratulations, you are now closer to your goal than you have ever been!

Tips / Natural ways :

  • Spraying salt on your floor (which we did in Nepal since we did not have much ressources at our disposal).
  • Spraying a lemon mix on your floor ( get 3/4 lemons, cut them in quarters, press them in a spray bottle and throw them in there, add water to the top). For a more detailed recipe, check out our article about our homemade flea spray!
  • Apply diatomaceous earth on the floor, an affordable organic powder that kills fleas

How to get rid of fleas on my cat : Clean the beast

Once you are done with the place, let’s head to the bathroom and clean this ball of fur. Cleaning a cat is a little bit like trying to calm down a fierce hungry lion.  It’s very difficult (most of the time) and it requires a high level of focus. No need to freak out, we’ll give you a very efficient tip to keep him calm.

  • First thing, calm your cat down using this simple technique (it worked like a charm for Yoda!) : Use a paper clip and position it on his neck where his mom would normally hold him.

Now you have two types of products you can use: either a flea shampoo (hard to find this in Nepal) or like us lemon dish soap + vinegar.

  1. Make it RAIN :  Gently pour warm water over your cat, making sure you do not get any in his sensitive ears. Take it step by step, try not to scare your cat.  We started by cupping hand fulls of water on Yoda gently, getting him used to the water slowly.
  2. Lather is BETTER: Use the flea shampoo/homemade mixture and wash your cat for about 15 minutes. Insist on the neck area and near his tail (that’s where they like to hide). If you feel like your little one is getting impatient, give him a few treats along the way.
  3. Rinse and cleanse : Just rinse your cat thoroughly by pouring warm water on him. Take it easy and be patient, it’s almost over!
  4. Dry with a towel : With a clean towel, dry your little one! He probably hates your guts by now but he will soon thank you for your heroic endeavor.
  5. Cure and protect : When your cat is completely dry, apply flea medicine. We used Advantage and it worked just fine: it seems that the Bayer product is pretty awesome! Apply it at the base of the neck, it will spread over your cat’s back automatically.how to get rid of fleas on my cat

Final Thoughts: How to Get Rid of Fleas On My Cat

Victory is in your hands! We really hope you found an answer to the question : How to get rid of fleas on my cat!  The battle is rough and you will need to be very dedicated but if we did it then hey.. you can do it too! We hope this article helped you take care of the invasion. Shout out to our friends at Picks in France that helped us find the right solutions at the right time!

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