Cat Flea Allergies
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
If fleas aren’t bad enough, some cats have allergies to flea bites. (They’re actually allergic to the saliva of the fleas.) Once a flea bites your cat, the allergy will take over, and your cat will begin itching and scratching at the flea bite, but they’ll also break out in an allergy, and itch, and scratch that, too. Sometimes, cat owners suffer from the same kind of allergy, and just one flea bite can trigger an attack in human or feline.
The best way to solve this problem of cat allergies is to prevent fleas in the first place. First, you have to make sure your home is completely free of fleas. Because fleas can lay thousands of eggs during their lives, you’ll have to make sure you repeat these steps until all traces of fleas are gone.
• Vacuum your floors and furniture every day, especially areas where your cats sleep, eat, or rest.
• Thoroughly wash your pet’s bedding at least once per week, more if you’re in the middle of a flea infestation.
• Use a flea prevention product, like carpet powder, in your home to help control fleas.
• Use a flea prevention product on your cat, as well.
Remember that you’ll have to continue these steps for several days, because flea eggs will continue to hatch if they are present in your home.
Use a preventative medication, such as Frontline Plus or Advantage Flea Control to keep your cat flea free. These medicines are still the best in market and it starts working right away. Frontline and Advantage both kills all adult fleas within 24 hours and continue to work for the rest of the month (one application). The only advantage that Frontline Plus has over Advantage Flea Control or any other flea product is that it also kills flea eggs, ticks, and flea larva. Both of the medicines are waterproof.
Once you’ve managed to rid your home of fleas, keep your cat on a monthly dose of medication to continue to prevent fleas. Remember, fleas can gat into your home from other animals, from nuisance animals like rodents and such in your yard, and they can even live in your landscaping and then transfer into your home. There are products available that you can use on your lawn and landscaping to help prevent fleas outside, too.
If you live in a flea-prone area, and your cat suffers from flea allergies, take these steps to prevent more flea infestations in and around your home.
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