she is an indoors cat. First I notice the extra licking and my sister found a bunch of fleas. I called the vet and set up an appt. for Saturday but I read some questions already that say fleas have killed young kittens. First question will she be okay until Saturday? Is there anything I can do to help her untl Saturday? and I know the doctor will recommend Frontline, Advantage ect....any tips on which to buy? Thanks for reading and possibly answering : )
2007-11-13 05:08:11 · 20 answers · asked by PinkSkyCloud 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Your cat will be fine until Saturday. You could buy a flea comb to get the fleas out in the meantime, but you should not use any other product from the shops as they do not work and some can be very harmful. (see www.hartzvictims.org)
If you manage to get fleas out with a flea comb you will need to hold onto them very tightly as they are very fast to jump. Then put them in a glass of water for a day so that they drown. You'll need to cover the glass so that they don't swim to the edge and jump out! It might be easier to just wait until Saturday!
The only product that really works is Frontline. It's not available from the shops, only the vet, but it's brilliant - you'll notice a difference straight away. I expect that this is what the vet will give you.
You could also ask the vet for a spray for the bedding or furniture if it's a bad infestation.
Best of luck.
2007-11-13 05:39:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your cat will definitely be okay until Saturday.
You can call the vet and see if a flea bath will be okay before the vet visit. That may calm her down and stop her from itching and licking so much, as well as killing a lot of the fleas.
I would recommend Frontline PLUS, not regular. I use this on my cat and she has no side effects or anything. The PLUS contains an IGR, a growth regulator that controls the flea population around your house too.
I used Advantage before this, and it worked well, but there were still some fleas around her head and around my house.
You need to treat your house too with something that is kid-friendly and pet-friendly. It is not hard to find. If worse came to worse, then you would need a fogger to de-flea your home.
Fleas can kill kittens because the blood is sucked from the kitten and it can become dehydrated. Also, fleas carry tapeworm and many cats get tapeworm. A kitten's body is not yet mature enough to deal with fleas or any parasites.
Your cat will be just fine, especially until Saturday. Good luck to you and your cat!
2007-11-13 08:08:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She should be ok till Saturday. Yes, fleas CAN kill an adult cat if she develops an allergic reaction to their bite (flea bite dermatitis). My 8-year-old cat almost died last year because I was under the impression that fleas couldn't kill an adult cat. She's also an indoor cat, so I must have carried fleas in from the yard on my shoes or clothes. Anyway, I started noticing her scratching and little crusty bumps around her ears and neck. Then she started losing weight and by the time I got her to the vet (about 3 or 4 weeks later), she had stopped eating, was throwing up and had lost half her body weight. Her liver had started shutting down. The vet sent her home to die. She gave me some kind of medication for her liver, but didn't think she would last more than another week. She said there might be a slim chance if I could get her to eat and take her medicine. So I was determined that I wasn't going to give up as long as she had a chance. I got about 12 syringes (without the needle) and forced baby food down her throat about every 2 hours. I had to force the pills down her throat, too. I also forced a syringe full of water into her mouth about 6 times a day. (She really HATED me for that whole month! She would run when I came into the room.) But after about a month or 6 weeks she was watching me eat a ham sandwich and looked interested. So I tore off a little piece of ham, and she ate it! So I went and got her a whole package of ham and from there we switched to ground beef and then she started on cat food again. Now she's put back all the weight she lost PLUS about 5 pounds! She's a little butterball now.
But anyway, don't let your cat go much longer with fleas. I wouldn't wish what we went through on anybody. I started using Frontline Plus for Cats after that and it's great. The "Plus" part means it also kills the eggs and larvae. You just put a little spot on the back of their neck just under the base of the skull, no muss, no fuss, no strong odor. Good luck!
2007-11-13 05:34:08 · answer #3 · answered by Dame Edna 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Very unlikely they will kill your cat. It's young kittens that die from fleas, because they're so small they haven't got much blood to suck!
You don't have to have an appointment to get flea treatment. Frontline and Advantage is available without prescription, you can go in and get some. Keep the vet appointment by all means, for a general check up and advice, but you can get some Frontline or Advantage in the mean time, they're both good.
It's a myth that indoor cats don't get fleas, as you now know. Please help to spread the word!
Chalice
2007-11-13 07:55:55 · answer #4 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, fleas can be dangerous. They can often cause disease. Your cat is not as susceptible as a kitten is, but still susceptible. She should be ok until Saturday, but keep an eye on her to make sure she is feeling okay. Also, call the vet again and see if they recommend that you use anything before you take her to the vet--they may or may not want you to.
Brushing her wouldn't hurt. It would get some of the fleas out and help her with those itches!
2007-11-13 05:11:23 · answer #5 · answered by Esma 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would go with frontline, but that's just because it's what I was told to give my dog so the cat gets the same brand (the cat version). Also, I would ask about the pill that they can give the cat to kill the fleas instantly. I had to do this with my dog (fleas like dogs more than cats) and the adult fleas were dead within 2 hours.
As for your home, I would wash everything that she usually gets into in high heat. Vacuum the whole house and sweep to get rid of the fleas. It'll help if you can all get out of the house (including pets) and either put the heat on as high as it can go or if it's cold, turning off the heat and opening windows. Extreme heat and extreme cold kills them.
2007-11-13 05:21:09 · answer #6 · answered by ladyluck 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your cat has fleas - a visit to the vet isn't really necessary.
Does she have other symptoms that you're worried about?
You can easily go to a pet store and buy a package of Advantage/Frontline/whatever and take care of the problem at home.
If there are other pets in the family, you'll need to treat them also.
Good luck.
P.S. Don't buy a "powerful" spray and spray the house - that can make all inhabitants ill. Unless your house has become invested (the fleas are in the carpet and bedding and such), then it's not necessary to go to the that extreme.
2007-11-13 05:17:59 · answer #7 · answered by MARY N 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fleas do get on and off the cats and when off the cats they will lay eggs which will hatch into new fleas. I would suggest placing the kittens in a large cardboard box which also can hold their litter box, food and water and a small resting area until you can get them treated for fleas. That way, you can throw away their "house" and remove the fleas from your home. You also might want to ask your veterinarian what type of flea medication he is using on your kittens. Some leave protection on the kitten for nearly month and will kill any fleas that get on the kitten. If the flea load in your home is small, this might eradicate the fleas from your home. If you have other pets in the house, they also should be treated for fleas.
2016-05-22 23:37:11 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually if your cat isnt infested(literally all over) with them, then she isnt going to die! I dont think that your cat is going to die. If you cant see fleas by just looking at her then you're good til saturday. I use Frontline. Use a flea comb to comb some of the fleas out. Dont use any flea medicine on her unless the vet tells you to because i'm sure the vet will give her, her first treatment on saturday.. (you could give her a bath with shampoo that kills fleas.. Leave the shampoo on her for a few minutes) Good luck
2007-11-13 05:13:26 · answer #9 · answered by Incy89 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
yes fleas can kill cats and kittens fast as the fleas suck all the blood and leave them with none.cats also get tape worms from ingesting flea eggs while grooming.Go to the vet asap and go to the lady at the desk; and but 1 tube of advantage today; as you don;t need an appointment to get the flea ointment,,,Saturday Will be to late ; and please don;t make your cat suffer all these days,,go to any vets and the;ll sell you 1 tube ; and that will last till Friday,1 is like 11dollars ...
2007-11-13 05:20:04 · answer #10 · answered by Cami lives 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋