How Do Cats in the Wild Fight Fleas?

Question

They don't have Advantage or Frontline...so what do they do??

Answer 1

The answer is...they don't. They can scratch and groom, but thats about it. But, because they are living outside, usually infestations go down in the winter because of the cold. Other than that, though, not much affects fleas. Or ticks, or mosquitoes, or flies, or any other pest for that matter. Luckily, really, really heavy infestations are rare, except in optimal conditions (which generally occur when people manipulate the environment).

Answer 2

The flea reproductive cycle involves a period of time in the dirt, and frequently this happens in residential lawns.

I think that the feral cat would be less likely to catch fleas because they are less likely to have this sort of exposure.

Living indoors also provides things like carpet for fleas to live and reproduce in, making it much more likely for the animals to also harbor the pests.

Answer 3

They don't do anything. They get bitten up by fleas, ticks, ear mites, infected with intestinal parasites, diseases from other cats, abcesses from fights, broken bones from being hit by cars, attacked by dogs, and suffer many other horrible things. They don't live long in the wild--they are domesticated animals and should live with a family in the home.

Answer 4

They live in prides (lions) and in large groups (feral) so they help groom each other, but the bottom line is they don't really.

Some probably die from diseases carried by mosquito's (natural selection).

Fleas are a problem because WE don't like getting bitten.

Answer 5

The tend to roll in the dirt or dust quite often and I would guess that suffocates the fleas.