Should I treat indoor cats for fleas?
Discussion
As the title suggests, we have two indoor cats. They were treated for fleas as a routine matter at the rehoming center before we adopted them. We have no information as to whether or not they were treated for fleas at their previous home, regularly or otherwise. We're wondering though, should we be treating them for fleas even though they never get outdoors or come into contact with other animals?
Agreed, we haven't treated our cats for years and they have had no apparent issues. I certainly wouldn't be treating an indoor cat unless they show signs of being infested, seems a bit pointless as surely their risk of getting them is mahoosively reduced with them not going outside at all.
Not quite the same thing.
Whilst they are at much lower risk of getting fleas it is not impossible and I do know of clients that have ended up with a flea burden on indoor cats.
Preventative flea control is far better than trying to clear a problem. You prob could do it less frequently though.
Whilst they are at much lower risk of getting fleas it is not impossible and I do know of clients that have ended up with a flea burden on indoor cats.
Preventative flea control is far better than trying to clear a problem. You prob could do it less frequently though.
My two weren't treated as they're indoor cats...but they somehow got fleas....big time. Strangely I never got bitten myself, but the whole house was covered, it was horrible - and I have hard wood floors so I don't even know how they were really surviving.
I half wonder if they picked them up during a trip to the vets.
Anyway, two Frontline Combos and a huge can of household flea spray later and I still don't think I've eradicated them... not sure what else I can do now.
So YES, I would definitely recommend treating them instead of waiting until they get fleas and then treating them!
I half wonder if they picked them up during a trip to the vets.
Anyway, two Frontline Combos and a huge can of household flea spray later and I still don't think I've eradicated them... not sure what else I can do now.
So YES, I would definitely recommend treating them instead of waiting until they get fleas and then treating them!
If no flea issue at this time then probably frontline and maybe a preventative house spray such as Acclaim (both avaialble from Boots or your vets) would be good enough(though vets tend to sell f/line combo usually which is better but can only be sold to pets under their care)
If trying to clear a flea problem I don't feel the Frontline range is working as well as it used to. May be worth asking your vets if they sell products such as Advocate (have had excellent results with this one recently).
If trying to clear a flea problem I don't feel the Frontline range is working as well as it used to. May be worth asking your vets if they sell products such as Advocate (have had excellent results with this one recently).
bexVN said:
If no flea issue at this time then probably frontline and maybe a preventative house spray such as Acclaim both avaialble from Boots or your vets would be good enough(though vets tend to sell f/line combo usually which is better but can only be sold to pets under their care)
If trying to clear a flea problem I don't feel the Frontline range is working as well as it used to. May be worth asking your vets if they sell products such as Advocate (have had excellent results with this one recently).
Darnit I've just bought a year's worth of Frontline Combo! If trying to clear a flea problem I don't feel the Frontline range is working as well as it used to. May be worth asking your vets if they sell products such as Advocate (have had excellent results with this one recently).
Simpo Two said:
Well I never. I've had a normal (free range) cat for six years and it's never had any sign of fleas, and no flea treatments either.
Overuse of insecticides and antibiotics encourages resistance.
And I'm very pleased for you, unfortunately there are many many out there not so lucky and when fleas strike they're a fOveruse of insecticides and antibiotics encourages resistance.
king nightmare to get rid of.silvagod said:
Indoor cats??? wtf? Sorry, do NOT agree with that. However, to answer your question, fleas cannot live on humans long enough to be 'transported' to your cats. If they never go out (arghh)...then the chances of them having fleas is virtually nil.
No but eggs can on shoes etc but it is not impossible and certainly not virtually nil.silvagod said:
Indoor cats??? wtf? Sorry, do NOT agree with that. However, to answer your question, fleas cannot live on humans long enough to be 'transported' to your cats. If they never go out (arghh)...then the chances of them having fleas is virtually nil.
I wish you could have told the fleas we used to sometimes get on our indoor cats that they shouldn't have been there.Indoor cats, yes because of where we used to live, since we have moved they now have a cat flap (and we have since acquired 2 more, 5 in total now)and they all spend most of the time indoors, 3 of them only go out because we have done away with their litter tray so now they have to !
Total loss said:
I wish you could have told the fleas we used to sometimes get on our indoor cats that they shouldn't have been there.
Indoor cats, yes because of where we used to live, since we have moved they now have a cat flap (and we have since acquired 2 more, 5 in total now)and they all spend most of the time indoors, 3 of them only go out because we have done away with their litter tray so now they have to !
Ah...that's better. I thought you meant you never let them out, even if they wanted to!Indoor cats, yes because of where we used to live, since we have moved they now have a cat flap (and we have since acquired 2 more, 5 in total now)and they all spend most of the time indoors, 3 of them only go out because we have done away with their litter tray so now they have to !
Point taken by the previous poster, I did perhaps over emphasise the 'virtually' nil.
It's a shame Nuvan Top got banned (despite it being harmful to other things, it killed fleas in seconds). I use Frontline for the cat and RIP Fleas for the carpets / sofas. They seem to work reasonably well.
Give your cats a Christmas cuddle from me
. Used to sell cans and cans of the stuff!My cats were so averse to going outside, despite having a flap, that we nicknamed them the 'stay at home cats.'
I then relaxed the flea treatment accordingly.
Until one day my entie house became infested with the buggers...
So now I take anti flea treatment very seriously and use Frontline about once every 8 weeks.
Costs maybe 50 quid a year, and in the last 5 years, haven't seen a single flea.
So yes, I would recommend it, even for indoor cats!
I then relaxed the flea treatment accordingly.
Until one day my entie house became infested with the buggers...
So now I take anti flea treatment very seriously and use Frontline about once every 8 weeks.
Costs maybe 50 quid a year, and in the last 5 years, haven't seen a single flea.
So yes, I would recommend it, even for indoor cats!
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