Keeping You Safe in Your Fur

Fleas are nasty little critters. These parasites jump onto your pets and drink their blood, leaving flea dirt and eggs in their wake. They are hardy insects that are designed to be resilient and uncrushable. What does this mean for you? It means that in order to get rid of fleas for good, you will have to take multiple steps.

What's the problem with fleas?

Fleas drink your pet’s blood and leave itchy bumps wherever they bite. Pets can even suffer from anemia (severe blood loss) if the infestation is bad enough! In addition to the blood they steal from your pets, fleas also carry parasites like tape worms and can provoke allergic reactions. Flea allergy dermatitis is caused by fleas and causes severe itching that can lead to secondary infections.

Treating your pet is not enough!

Fleas don’t just live on your pets: they live in your house and in your yard. This means that the battle against fleas must be fought on three fronts: pets, house, and yard. Because fleas have a 4-stage life cycle that can take up to 8 months to complete, removing all fleas from your pet’s environment takes time.

Your first step -

Remove fleas currently on your cat. We can give your cat a flea bath with a cat-safe flea shampoo that removes all fleas that your kitty came in with. This provides temporary relief from the current pests.

Next up - Prevention -

Treat your pet with a monthly spot-on treatment like Revolution Plus, Bravecto or Advantage Multi. Your veterinarian can recommend the best product for your area. Be absolutely sure that the product is safe for use on cats. Cats are very sensitive to certain chemicals and if you use a product for dogs, it could result injury or death to your cat! If you aren’t sure, consult your veterinarian. If your cat has just been bathed, you will need to wait a day or so before applying the product (info should be provided on label).  We carry preventatives on hand.  Please let us know what your vet recommends.  If you wish to purchase preventatives at a lower cost, please see "Boutique" page to be directed to products.

Continue the fight - 

Now that your pet is more comfortable, begin eliminating the fleas in your pet’s environment. If you do not treat the environment, the fleas may keep reproducing and biting you and your pets.

House: Many different products exist on the market for treating your house. Among them are carpet and floor sprays, bombs and foggers, and powders. Read the labels carefully to find the product right for your home. Again, be sure that the product is safe for cats.  As a more natural approach, we recommend Borax or diatomaceous earth (food grade).  The DE can be messy and not good to breathe in. Borax can be sprinkled on floors and vacuumed up.  Any vacuuming done will need the dispenser dumped immediately and taken outside.

Yard: If you have fleas in your house, then it's likely you have fleas in your yard. Fleas can jump over 6 feet and can ride in on any carrier they can find: cats, dogs, or humans. There are many insecticides available on the market, but the best long-term flea management contains insect growth regulators. These products prevent anything with a larval stage (like fleas) from maturing so once the current generation dies, the fleas will be unable to replenish their numbers.

Diatomaceous Earth, food grade, is also a good and natural powder best used outdoors.

Last but not least - 

Don’t give up! A flea infestation can be very difficult to get rid of, but with the right products and diligent effort you and your cat can be flea free! To help with the flea removal process, we offer follow-ups (baths) within a few weeks if needed.

Information Provided by the National Cat Groomers Institute of America, Inc.

Cat Fabulous Added Info on Borax and Diatomaceous Earth