It’s getting warmer here in Australia, and that means fleas!

Keeping up with your flea prevention is so important, especially if you have children or cats that roam (or some that come into your backyard).

If you find fleas on your cat, the first thing you should do is check your flea prevention. Only use what is sold in pet stores or vets. Those in supermarkets, although cheap, don’t work. Flea powders are also a waste of money.

Can I use a flea shampoo?

Washing your cat in flea shampoo is not recommended (yes, I’m telling you not to wash your cat!). Using flea shampoo adds chemicals to your cat’s coat that are very toxic and can be ingested. They do not kill enough of the life cycle to make a difference to the infestation. When you see one flea, there are hundreds more! Wait until your cat’s flea treatment takes effect, then give a normal maintenance bath to remove flea dirt and dead eggs.

How can I tell that my cat has flea dirt (flea faeces)?

You have the appearance of speckles of dirt. Wet a tissue or wipe. Wipe the section until you have a piece of the dirt on the tissue/wipe. Wait a few minutes. If the surrounding tissue is red/orange, there is evidence of fleas or there has been fleas.

But my cat is indoors; how is it getting fleas?

Fleas can be brought in by neighbouring animals, other animals, visiting pets, and even on your shoes.

Think of a flea-ridden pet like a pepper shaker, once they walk into an area, they can drop fleas and eggs everywhere they go.

How do I check my cat for fleas?

Fleas love to congregate around the anus and the base of the tail. Under the cat between the legs and around the face. You may find fleas or flea dirt, or in some cases flea allergy dermatitis.

I recommend:

• Wash all bedding and floors with hot soapy water.
• Vacuum daily.
• Spray the garden with a pesticide.
• A natural way to kill fleas is by adding food-grade diatomaceous earth to a cat’s food or as a coat powder, as this is safe for the cat and works by breaking down the fleas’ exoskeletons. More about diatomaceous earth.
• Worming is important as fleas carry tapeworm. Worming should be done every 3 months starting at 6 months of age.
• Use a spot-on treatment or an internal treatment. If infested, use a spot-on treatment more often than as directed on the packaging, along with Capstar (Nitenpyram) daily for five days, to help kick-start the killing of fleas. Call the company on the flea treatment product for advice on the dose recommended for infestations; many can be used 2 weekly.

Students! There is a hand-out along with procedures on infection control in the ACCG 🙂

Ready to Take Your Cat Grooming Skills Further?

If you’re passionate about improving feline welfare, reducing grooming stress, and building a successful cat grooming business, consider becoming an Australian Certified Cat Groomer (ACCG). This comprehensive certification program teaches feline behaviour, low-stress handling, anatomy, health conditions, modifications to grooming plans, business skills, and industry best practices to help you become a confident and knowledgeable cat grooming professional. Whether you’re new to grooming or looking to specialise in feline care, the ACCG course can help you stand out in the growing field of professional cat grooming.

👉 Learn more and enrol today: Australian Certified Cat Groomer (ACCG) Course

Lexie Goldsmith

https://learncatgrooming.com.au

Want to learn more tips and tricks?

Sign up at https://bit.ly/CGEWLSignup

Who am I?

I’m Lexie Goldsmith,

My slow introduction and low stress handling techniques have been proven over 14 years of grooming cats without sedation and many happy clients, being the go-to cat groomer in my state.

I am contacted regularly by people all over the world wanting to learn cat grooming from me, and this makes me excited to see students now grooming cats with my videos, instructions and support.

I am a Qualified Veterinary Nurse, Pet Stylist and Master Cat Groomer, available for your cat grooming education needs.

Come join me on your cat grooming journey, I promise you will not be disappointed, I have a 30day money back guarantee for all courses.

More information on my courses here