Should I flea treat my cat? Deciding on whether to treat your cat with flea treatment is not always a straightforward question. 

Flea treatment for outdoor cats

If you have an outdoor cat: you will need to keep their flea treatment absolutely up to date. Any cat going outdoors is exposed to potentially large numbers of fleas on a daily basis and you do not want these fleas bringing back into your house alive! If you have fleas in your home, you will also need to treat your home for fleas.

Flea treatment for indoor cats

If you have an indoor only cat, things are a little more of a balancing act. Fleas are pesky little critters and it is unlikely but entirely possible for a flea to find his way into your home! At the same time, flea treatment is nasty stuff and not something you want to be using on your cats or around your family unnecessarily. Here is our advice if you have an indoor only cat:

1. Regularly examine your cat for evidence of fleas. This can be done with regular grooming at least twice a month. A regular groom also helps you to keep track of your cat’s skin health and check for any lumps, bumps or injuries that might need medical attention. If you see fleas or flea dirt on your cat, then you will need to treat your cat for fleas and also treat your home for fleas. Where there is no evidence of fleas we would not recommend routine flea treatment.

2. Once a year, during the spring months, consider using a flea spray around the areas of your home that fleas would likely enter or settle. For example doorways and any suspended floors you might have, as well as under sofa cushions and any pet bedding. Make sure that when you use flea sprays you remove your pets from the area before spraying and keep the area well ventilated. 

3. If you have a dog, or other animal that has access to the outdoors, remember that your dog will bring fleas in from outside. If this is the case then your cat will need to be regularly treated for fleas, even if she is an indoor-only cat.

Flea treatment for cats now comes in a variety of forms: there are spot on treatments, prescription only treatments and even flea collars. Discuss the most appropriate choice for your cat with your vet.

Find out how often you should be vaccinating your cat....

See if we have any British Shorthair kittens available.