can fleas make my cat ill?

Question

my cat has got fleas i have treated him for them but hes seems very off colour

Answer 1

Fleas carry a number of disieses that will make your cat ill, the most common one is worms, you'll probably have to take it to the vet and have it checked out. Fleas can also make you sick also. I find that Advantage works best on keeping the fleas under control on dogs and cats.

Answer 2

Yes. Many cats and dogs are allergic to fleas. This can make them show various symptoms of illness when they have fleas. Also, having fleas can give your cat worms. When the cat bites at itself to get rid of the itchy fleas, it will swallow some fleas and that can pass on the worms, which are actually parasites of the fleas itself, to the cat. The flea medications will kill the fleas, but do nothing about the worms. You would need a separate de-wormer to take care of the worms. Check your cat's behind to see if there are any worms clinging to the hair near it's butt (little white things) or check it's bedding to see if it has passed any dead ones. They will look like little grains of yellowish rice. Also, many flea medications can have side effects which will make your cat ill. What did you treat your cat with to kill the fleas? Many of the topical applications that you put on the back of the cat's neck (Advantage, Frontline, Program, etc.) will make the cat's hair fall out in that spot and can give your cat an allergic reaction. If your cat manages to lick at the spot where it was applied, it can cause drooling, twitching and muscle weakness. That's why it should be applied at the base of the neck, but if you have multiple cats that lick each other, this can still be a problem.

Answer 3

Yes, if the cat is heavily infested the flea bites will result in the cats blood level being reduced due to the flea sucking blood from the cat, the cat can become anaemic

Answer 4

Fleas transmit tapeworms, so you do need to worm animals that have fleas, as well as flea treat them.

If your cat has worms, you might see the segments of them in his poo, they look like rice grains. Or, you might just see the symptoms of a worm infection: bloated stomach, diarrhoea or vomiting.

What flea treatment did you use? If it wasn't from a vets you can't trust it to actually work - you need to use Frontline or Stronghold/Revolution or Advantage, basically. You'll need to spray your house as well, unless you're using Frontline Plus. And as I say, get the cat wormed as well - with a product from a vet.

How exactly is your cat looking 'off colour'? What symptoms? if you think your pet is ill you should always take them to a vet - you need to go there for flea and worm treatment anyway, so you might as well take the cat along to be checked out.

Chalice

Answer 5

Yes, A lot of fleas can make you kitten very weak, due to sucking too much blood making you kittie anaemic, (he needs more iron in his diet). He can also get a reaction to their bites causing a very itchy and painful rash, and like other people have said, adult fleas can carry alot of deseases, mainly worms, which can also make a kittie very ill..Dont forget you need to treat your house and his bedding for fleas not just your kitten.

Answer 6

I wonder if it is the flea treatment which has made him feel poorly - some of the treatments are very toxic, especially if over-used. I would suggest stopping the flea treatment and checking with your vet asap.

Answer 7

yes, fleas bite the animal and suck their blood. cats, especially smaller ones, can become anemic from having too many fleas

Answer 8

Fleas can make cats sick. They can give them worms and anemea.

Answer 9

yes they can,they stuck the blood and will make your cat very anaemic.. spot on or front line that clears all fleas and mites......

Answer 10

yes, the fleas bite them and suck blood, so they would feel pretty miserable having been bitten and bled, sometimes the bites get infected as well.