News
Fleas
Fleas are small, brown, wingless insects that are known for their jumping ability - they can jump up to 1000 times their own height!
Fleas feed on blood, and will bite their host an average of 10 times daily. The females will pass about 50 eggs per day, which fall off into the environment where they gradually mature over 3 - 6 weeks before hatching and jumping onto a new host.
Fleas are usually NOT picked up from contact with other animals, but from their environment. By the time you find fleas on your cat it means that the house or garden is already infested!
Unlike dogs, cats can tolerate surprisingly large numbers of fleas without scratching, so it pays to check your cat for fleas on a regular basis - by the time you notice them it may be too late...
Unfortunately, the flea cocoons in the environment are highly resistant to any of the environmental sprays. This means that these have to hatch out and jump onto the cat in order to be killed, a process which may take a couple of months. It is quite normal to see a few adult fleas on cats that have been treated, and does not mean that the product isn’t working.
Prevention is much better - and easier - than cure!
Fleas can cause more serious problems: they are responsible for the transmission of tapeworm, and cats can also develop allergies to fleas, where even only small numbers of flea bites can lead to intense skin irritation and dermatitis.
We advise using spot-ons:
« Frontline Combo: This combines an Adulticide to kill adult fleas as well as an Insect Growth Regulator to prevent any eggs from hatching in the house.
Advocate, Stronghold »
These products combine flea control with worming as well.
