Cat Flea & Tick - Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Cat Fleas and Ticks

Dr. Casie Lew
Advanced Animal Care

How do fleas and ticks impact the health and wellbeing of my cat?

Fleas and ticks, they are technically classified as ectoparasites. What that means is that they're parasites that are on the outside of your animals' bodies. The way that they impact your animal is whenever they bite your animal, they take up a little bit of blood each time. Fleas and ticks also can give diseases to your animals through the saliva and the contact that they have with the skin. The best way to avoid any of these diseases passing through would definitely be to give flea and tick prevention.

Why is prevention of fleas and ticks so important?

It is very, very important to avoid those kinds of diseases, like I said earlier, from getting into your pets. Most of these diseases are passed through the saliva of the tick specifically. If animals are ingesting these fleas specifically, they can also get what we call tapeworms, and then they'll get both parasites outside of the body and inside of the body. Like I said before, the one way to avoid it would to to give the flea and tick prevention.

What are some signs and symptoms of flea and tick infestation in your cat?

One of the biggest signs that we typically look for is flea dirt. A lot of cats tend to groom themselves very, very well, but if they have a huge infestation of fleas, you'll typically see a bunch of black dots that look like dirt all over their skin, or sometimes fleas tend to even be in very localized or small spots on the cats' bodies and you'll be able to see a lot of flea dirt if you groom them upwards, like against the growth of the fur.

What should I do if I find fleas or ticks on my cat?

Definitely bring them to your vet as soon as you can, to get an examination. Then we will go ahead, as a veterinarian, recommend the best flea and tick products for your kitty.

FAQ - Cat Flea & Tick

Dr. Casie Lew
Advanced Animal Care

What are the different types of flea and tick prevention?

At Advanced Animal Care we do offer two different types. One of them is revolution PLUS, and that covers fleas, ticks as well as some heartworm here. And then we also offer BRAVECTO and this brand of flea and tick preventative, it does last for about three months.

Is prevention needed all year round?

I do believe so. Although we do have a lot of clients who say that there aren't any fleas and ticks at home that they can see, sometimes the fleas do kind of track on those shoes and when we come into our house, they can also be there. Some of our clients have dogs as well as cats. And even if their cats are indoors almost constantly, sometimes the dogs can bring in the fleas and ticks as well.

How do I control fleas and ticks in my cat's environment?

Definitely one of the biggest ways would be to give flea and tick preventatives all year round.

Will fleas and ticks resolve on their own?

Fleas and ticks will most certainly not resolve on their own. Unfortunately, despite what we want, fleas and ticks are parasites and they do live in the environment. And so even if they're not in the animal, if they do tend to jump into the environment, they can stay there for quite some time.

If I have a dog that's on prevention, does my cat need to be on prevention too?

I do believe so, yes.


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