How to Rid Your Cat of a Flea Infestation

Our cat Cash warming the lunch tortillas.

Did you know that one mating female flea will lay approximately 20 eggs daily -- half of which hatch to females -- and can eventually produce about 20,000 new adult fleas in 60 days?

The typical cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) find a warm, comfortable place to live, nourishment and a great place to raise a family on the hind quarters of your beloved cat. Flea bites cause terrible itching, and if your cat is hypersensitive, incessant scratching can lead to open skin wounds that are vulnerable to infection. The fleas can also carry infectious agents, like cat and dog tapeworm, and the bacteria that causes cat-scratch fever in people.

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine recommends two ways to counter flea infestation in your home:

1. You must rid your cat of the fleas.
2. You must get the fleas out of the environment where your cat spends time, which means treating inside your home and outdoor property (if your cat or other pets are allowed outside). 

Removing fleas from your cat's environment requires meticulous vacuuming, washing pet bedding, using flea-killing products, and, if a severe infestation, the services of a professional exterminator.

Flea Treatments That Work

William Miller Jr., VMD, a professor of dermatology at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, says that using a topical or oral flea treatment faithfully for all pets in the household "beginning in the spring of the year and going into the fall before colder weather sets in" will likely result in your cat remaining free of fleas.

The treatments also help flea dermatitis.

Not sure which flea product to purchase? Click here to read a list of over-the-counter medications and products recommended by the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.

Dr. Miller says that treating your cat and other pets is not enough. You need to prevent recurring flea infestation in the environment. Raccoons, skunks, possums and other wildlife will bring fleas to the yard. The fleas will jump on your animal companions and once inside your home, you'll have a re-infestation of fleas by the thousands.

Read the label of flea killing products carefully because some substances are created only for dogs and can be toxic to cats.

Have you discovered a flea treatment that keeps your cat flea free? Do you have a flea control plan that works well? Share your experience and thoughts in the comment section below.