Cats and flea baths

[Mystic]

So me and my boyfriend recently took in a stray cat off the streets from around our neighborhood and of course being an outdoor cat he has fleas. We tried the spot-on treatment for him and it doesn't seem to be working. We pulled off about 20 fleas off him last night with a flea comb. All still alive. So my question is will I look like shredded cheese if I try to give him a flea bath? What is the best way to give him a bath? We got him all his shots yesterday too so he is good to go with that. He's strickly going to be an indoor cat now.

 

[Stackie]

You can try a flea bath, or you can buy Capstar tablets. Capstar is given orally and it begins to kill fleas within 30 minutes. What spot-on did you try? Most theoretically should kill the fleas.

The important thing to remember with cats is to stay away from any spot-on's, shampoos, etc. that contain permethrin. It is a common ingredient in dog anti-flea products but it is toxic to cats.

Some cats will hate you but allow the bath, some will freak. The important thing is to have 2 people. One to restrain, one to bathe. Scruffing helps. Some veterinarians will do it for you if the cat is too much to handle.

Edited also to ask: how long has it been since you applied the spot-on? It would be a good idea to treat your home as well if he was heavily infested.

 

[Mystic]

Well we just applied it yesterday. The spot-on is called PetArmor for cats. Actually I may have spoken too soon because I just checked where he was laying at and found 2 dead adult fleas. I guess I just expected them to all drop dead like flies at once. How would you suggest I treat my home for them?

 

[Jenn]

The spot-on treatments start working quickly, but you will find the emergence of new fleas to continue for a bit, especially if you have any fleas in your carpet at home. They will jump on and off the cat. I totally gave up on giving flea baths to my cats because they would rip me open.

There are flea bombs and carpet sprays in a can you can apply. I would do the carpet spray since everyone needs to be out of the house, including animals, for the bombs. Your vet should carry a good flea carpet spray that you would use on the carpets and furniture.

 

[Stackie]

I would give the spot-on a couple more days to work. If you give your cat a bath within a few days of applying the spot-on, it will remove it.

You can also get flea sprays/bombs at Petsmart.

 

[mercynursie]

Borax powder sprinkled on carpet let sit a few hours then vacuum will help kill living fleas in the carpet but will need to do a few times in a week to get the fleas as they hatch from eggs.Just FYI Petarmor is not the same as Frontline/PetArmor Plus.The last two have the additional chemical that prevents flea eggs from hatching.I found out the hard way this summer!

 

[Riven]

Here if I don't use the Plus, it doesn't work. I know how generics work, but I've not had luck with the PetArmor like I do the Frontline...

 

[Mystic]

Thanks everyone. I did have my doubts about the generic kind but my boyfriend bought it and brought it home so that's what I used. I guess after this stuff wears off I will buy some Frontline. As far as treating my home I actually don't have any carpet in my home. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and its all wood floors/tile. Can I still use a powder treatment for the floor or is there another option. Also, I'm kind of concerned about him. He's been acting very sluggish and not too active since receiving his vaccinations yesterday. Is this normal? Before we got him vaccinated he was much more lively than he is acting now. Is this a reaction to the shots?

 

[Sycamore Chins]

He could be having a reaction to the shots, he could also have what we call flea bite anemia, if he was heavily infested. Can you get a look at his gums and the inside of his lip and see if they are nice and pink/red? Is he a kitten still?

 

[Jenn]

The shots alone can make him sluggish for a day or two, but then he should be fine. If he doesn't return to his normal self, I would get him looked at. Sometimes the flea treatment itself can make a cat feel a bit sick, especially if he was able to reach it and lick it.

 

[Stackie]

Like others have said, lethargy can be a side effect of vaccinations. If he isn't himself within a day or so, call your vet.

Basically with flea meds, you get what you pay for. Not only are they not as effective, I have heard some pretty scary stories about the cheap generic flea meds.

 

[Mystic]

He's about 10 months old, I'm not sure if that would be considered a kitten or not. And his gums are like a light pink and do look paleish. :/ he's only been with us a couple days. Prior to that he was an outdoor cat. I don't think he could have reached the flea treatment but I could be wrong since cats are so flexible, I did put it in the right spot though. He wasn't even interested in some catnip we just picked up.

 

[mercynursie]

He may be anemic from the fleas if his gums are pale.Best treatment for that is what you are doing-get the fleas off and give him high quality food.Don't know if you had him tested for feline leukemia and heartworms,but if he doesn't improve over the week, you should take him in again.Also has he been treated for intestinal parasites and ear mites?Those are two big issues with outdoor cats down here.As far as catnip goes,it differs from cat to cat.Out of 3 indoor cats we have one is so-so for the catnip,the male absolutely goes nuts over it,and his sister(littermate sister) could care less.She would rather have the laser pointer.Good luck. Sounds like kittie is blessed he found you!

 

[Mystic]

Thank you We have him on some high quality food by purina. We got the kind for a healthy immune system and for cats up to 1 year old. I didn't have him tested for feline leukemia, but he did get the vaccine for it. He hasn't been tested for heartworms. We are treating him for ear mites, but he absoultely HATES the ear drops. And he acts like he hates me after I give him the drops, lol. I'm glad to hear that its normal for some cats to not be too crazy about catnips. I thought all cats went CRAZY over it.

 

[pamszoo]

I would have him dewormed for tapeworms as well. If he has fleas that bad he will probably have tapes too. Do not apply a flea topical and bathe the cat with flea shampoo. You are applying chemical upon chemical. Since already applying something you will have to wait almost 30 days to reapply anything.

Personally if this was my cat I would use Advantage. I think it works better IMO than frontline plus. And if the cat is indoors now he doesnt need the tick control.

 

[Mystic]

I just picked up some deworming treatment yesterday. I checked him with the flea comb and did not see one flea. Maybe it did work after all. I just need to keep up with it. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

 

[Jenn]

Make sure you treat for heart worm as well. I brought in 2 cats that both had heart worms.

 

[Stackie]

You'll want to do a heartworm test before you treat for it, though.