Fleas and Ticks onCats

Fleas and ticksare two of the most common parasites affecting cats. These parasites hitch aride into your home on your cat, on other pets, or even on uninvited guestslike rodents. While outdoor cats will encounter fleas daily, your indoor cat isjust as susceptible.

When treatingyour cat, you may wonder how long until the medication kicks in. The answerdepends on the medication and the type of parasite. For example, fleas tend todie more quickly than ticks.

If you see atick on your cat, it is important to see a veterinarian regardless of whetherthe tick is alive or dead to ensure the tick’s head and mouth parts are removedproperly. Ticks can transmit serious diseases such as Lyme disease and Cytauxzoonosis, which can befatal if not treated.

It is extremelyimportant to provide flea and tick prevention regularly for allcats, indoors and outdoors, and to recognize the signs of flea or ticks.

Types of Flea andTick Medication for Cats

While there aremany safe, effective medications available to control fleas and ticks, they maynot be effective in some cats due to resistance or toxicity risks. The mostpopular medications to combat fleas and ticks are topical, meaning those thatgo directly onto the skin. Most oral medications only help control fleas and donot provide tick coverage.

The followingmedications, and how they are applied, can be used for both fleas and ticks:

Topical Flea& Tick Medication

• Revolution and Revolution Plus

• Senergy

• Bravecto and     Bravecto Plus

• Advantage     Multi

• Frontline Plus and     Frontline Gold

• Advantage II

• Effipro Plus

• Cheristin

Oral Flea &Tick Medication

• Credelio

Oral Flea-onlyMedication

• Capstar

• Comfortis

Collar Flea& Tick Medication

• Seresto

Topical preventionshave been shown to clear fleas on cats within 12-48 hours, and oral preventionsoften work within the first 2-4 hours.

Never use a fleaor tick medication labeled for dogs. They are not interchangeable, and aproduct made for dogs can make cats extremely sick, and in rare cases it may befatal.

Signs Flea and TickMedication are Working

It can take upto 24 hours for fleas on your cat to die, although it might occur much quicker.Fleas typically die faster than ticks, since they are a much less robustparasite. Ticks can take up to 48 hours for treatment to work.

Oral fleamedications tend to work a bit faster in cats than topical medications.However, most oral medications lack tick coverage. If your cat has a severeflea problem, several rounds of treatment over several months will be needed toeliminate the problem, because the life cycle of the flea is about 3 months.

Not all deadticks will fall off your cat. If you see a live or dead tick, take your cat tothe veterinarian to have it removed properly to make sure the head and mouthparts are entirely removed. This is important to prevent more seriousinfections, such as Lyme disease.

If you don’t seea decrease in the number of fleas and ticks, you might need to switchmedications. Talk with your veterinarian to help you choose the next stepregarding medication and dosage. Do not simply increase the dosage withoutfirst consulting your vet.  

Other Treatments toHelp with Fleas and Ticks

Other treatmentscan also help to kill fleas and ticks on your cat, including:

• A bath with special     medication shampoo (flea shampoo) and warm water

• A flea comb to remove fleas     from your cats while waiting for medication to work effectively

• Flea/tick wipes, creams,     sprays

Please ensurethat any treatment you choose for your cat is made specifically for cats. Dogpreventions and treatments should never be used on cats, as they cancontain ingredients that are safe for dogs but potentially fatal to cats. Whileother treatments are helpful, they are best when combined with a traditionalflea and tick treatment such as a topical or oral preventative. Make sure themethod of treatment you choose for your cat’s flea treatment is approved byyour veterinarian.

When Will SymptomsStart to Decrease?

• Topical flea and tick     treatments such as Revolution Plus kill fleas and ticks within 12 hours of application, and at least 98% of fleas     are killed within 24 hours.

• Oral medications such as     Capstar begin to kill fleas within 30 minutes,     and continue to rapidly control fleas for 24 hours.

• The Seresto flea collar for     cats works within 24 hours,     and the fleas do not even need to bite your cat to be killed.

As thesemedications start working, you will notice a decrease in your cat’s scratching,and you may also notice more fleas. This is because you are seeing the fleasand/or ticks die off and come out from hiding under your cat’s coat. If yourcat has a skin infection or irritation in the form of red spots or scabs fromthe parasites or from the scratching, these can take some time to heal. You mayneed antibiotics to fully heal the skin infections.

If you do notsee an improvement of your cat’s flea and/or tick issue within 24 hours or atany time your cat seems to not be acting like herself, contact your veterinarianas soon as possible.

How to Get Rid ofFleas and Ticks in Home

To effectivelyget rid of a flea and/or tick infestation, you must do more than justadminister the medication to your cat. It is equally as important to treat thehome, so the issue does not return. It’s best to do this while treating yourcat, as well as to quarantine him in a small crate or tiled bathroom as youclean.

If you arecleaning your home yourself, remember to empty your vacuum bag outdoorsimmediately after use, as there still might be some live fleas or ticks inside.If a pest control company is not an option, it would be best to ask yourveterinarian what is safe to be used at home, such as sprays, flea bombs, orpowders.