Fleas and Your Pets

Many times a week, the words “But my cat is indoor only, how can s(he) have fleas?” are heard in veterinary exam rooms around the Chicagoland area.  The fact is that your pet does not need to go outside to get fleas.  The only thing needed is a housemate that goes outside.  That housemate could be a dog—or you.  When fleas hatch they are hungry.  Fleas do not care whether that first meal is from a squirrel, an opossum, or a human.  They would prefer the squirrel or opossum or cat over the human because humans are “low grade hamburger” and the cat or squirrel are “filet mignon”.  Humans are too cold and do not give off the right vibrations or carbon dioxide concentrations; but when fleas are hungry, they will jump on humans.  Frequently the human is near a preferred meal within minutes, so the flea abandons ship for the better meal, meaning the cat.

Fleas will be a factor in our lives always.  In some places it is due to climate, like the Gulf Coast.  In the La Grange and La Grange Park area, it is due to the closeness of the Forest Preserves, home of the opossums, fox, raccoons, and squirrels that provide a place for the fleas to reproduce.  The humans walk, and walk their dogs, through the preserves where they pick up fleas.  The dog rests under a bush or deck in the yard or on a pet bed in the home.  The flea eggs are deposited in the yard or in the house.  The cat that only goes out under supervision or never goes out becomes infested 3-6 weeks later as the next generation matures. 

This is why your veterinarian recommends flea preventatives for all pets in a household.  The difference between the Gulf Coast and the Great Lakes regions in the length of the flea lifecycle has to do with average temperature and humidity.  Because the Gulf Coast stays warm and humid year round, the flea lifecycle takes about three weeks.  Because the Great Lakes are much less humid and have cooler temperatures on average, the flea life cycle takes six to eight weeks.  Unfortunately, what many of pet owners do not understand is that fleas do not stop reproducing in the winter, they just move indoors where it is warm.  This is why the recommendation for flea prevention is all year round.

If your cat becomes infested with fleas; please see your veterinarian.  They can advise you in the safest way for the cat to be treated and the best way to eliminate the infestation in the house.  If the cat is inside, so are the fleas.  The first step in regaining flea control is to kill the fleas on the cat (or dog).  Your vet probably has some product that kills the flea in 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on how heavy the infestation is.  A flea bath (with the appropriate product) will kill the fleas on the cat at the time of the bath.  Both of these quick kill products need to be followed up with a longer acting monthly product like Frontline or Advantage. This will need to be applied monthly for at least three to four months to every pet in the household.  Next is treating the house itself.  Vacuuming twice weekly and disposing of the vacuum bag or contents outdoors in the trash along with washing the pet bedding will be the most effective treatment for the house.  There are treatments for the yard also.  It is best to speak with a certified pest control company for this or any chemical treatments in the house.  Again, these steps need to be continued over a three to four month span of time.  This is because there is unfortunately nothing that will affect the pupal stage of the flea and it can stay at that stage for many months.

Once the flea infestation is under control, the way to keep it from happening again is where the article started; applying monthly flea preventative year around.  Fleas will probably always be with us, but that doesn’t mean we have to share our homes with them.

Dr. Cuevas practices at La Grange Park Cat Clinic in the Westbrook Shopping Center.
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