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An award winning veterinary clinic devoted to feline healthcare

Just Cats Veterinary Clinic

57-59 Duke Street

Southport

Merseyside

PR8 5BT

Opening Hours

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday *

Thursday *

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

09:15 - 17:30

09:15 - 17:30

09:15 - 17:30

09:15 - 17:30

09:15 - 17:30

Closed

Closed

[Closed Bank Holidays]

reception@justcats.co.uk

Contact us by e-mail at

Click here for a map of our location.

Telephone :

01704 544640

Fax :

01704 532593

Veterinary consultation by appointment only. Please contact the clinic if you would like to arrange an appointment.

*

Additional Hours

Wednesday & Thursday

Evening surgery 17:30 - 20:00 for pre-booked vaccinations and medication reviews only.

Wednesday *

Thursday *

Flea Control

The most common flea found on cats and dogs is the cat flea. Occasionally, rabbit and hedgehog fleas may be found on cats. Using modern treatments it is now virtually possible to eliminate fleas on cats.

While many cats live with fleas and show minimal signs of infestation, control is advisable because:

• The cat flea carries the larval stage of tapeworm. Cats can be infested with these worms by eating fleas during grooming. Fleas have the potential to transmit other infectious agents.
• Adult fleas feed on cats’ blood and in young kittens this can cause anaemia. Anaemic kittens are weak.
• Some cats develop an allergy to flea bites which cause them to scratch excessively or to develop skin disease. Typically this is shown by over-grooming and hair loss especially on the back and legs.
• Cat fleas can cause itchy bites on sensitive humans, typically around the ankles.

During grooming cats eat fleas in their coat, making them difficult to find. An itchy cat, or insect bites on human ankles, may be the only signs of infestation. The best way to demonstrate the presence of fleas is to place the cat on a sheet of white paper and comb it meticulously. A fine-toothed flea comb may trap one or two fleas in the brushings. 'Flea dirt' - flea faeces consisting of undigested cat blood - can usually be found. These are characteristically black and comma shaped. When placed on damp cotton wool 'flea dirt' slowly dissolves producing bloody streaks.

The adult flea lives permanently on its animal host. Within two days the female starts to produce eggs at a rate of 50 a day. The eggs fall off the cat's coat into the environment together with 'flea dirt', which provides food for the hatching larvae. Eggs and larvae may be found anywhere the cat has been, but are particularly concentrated in places where the cat sleeps. The larvae move away from light and penetrate deep into carpet and soft furnishing. The flea can emerge and attach to the host in seconds. However, if no host is present the flea can lie waiting in the cocoon for up to two years. In the right conditions the whole cycle can be completed in 15 days. Centrally heated homes with fitted carpets provide ideal conditions for all year round development of fleas. One adult flea can leave hundreds of eggs, larvae and pre-emerged adults in the house.For effective control, adult fleas on the cat must be killed and re-infestation from the environment prevented.

Killing adult fleas

A wide range of products is available to kill adult fleas on the cat. These vary in their formulation, speed, efficacy, duration of action, ease of use and cost. For an animal allergic to flea bites, where the aim is to prevent any bites, an agent which kills fleas rapidly should be chosen.

Removing fleas in the environment

Frequent vacuuming can help to reduce, but not eliminate, environmental infestation. Vacuum bags should be disposed of to prevent collected immature flea stages continuing to develop in the house. Anything that is heavily infested, such as pet bedding, should be disposed of.

Treatments can be used to prevent re-infestation in a number of ways:

• Using a long acting treatment to kill adults on the infested animal and all other animals in the household thereby preventing egg laying.
• Treating the house to kill the various flea stages. Treatment of the whole house is essential. All soft furnishings should be treated. All nooks and crannies should be included, such as gaps between floorboards and skirting boards. Vacuuming before treatment is advised as this stimulates adults to emerge from cocoons. Manufacturers' guidelines must be followed carefully to avoid the potential toxicity associated with environmental sprays.
• Insect development inhibitors can be used to eliminate immature flea stages from the environment. These are given to, or used on, cats to prevent fleas from hatching into larvae (chitin synthesis inhibitors) or to prevent flea larvae developing into adults (juvenile hormone analogues). To be effective these products must be given to all cats and dogs in the household. These products do not kill adult fleas. We can give an injection which lasts 6 months and many owners find this provides sufficient flea control.

To be effective all treatment guidelines should be followed. For some treatments there may be a lag of weeks to months in which fleas in the environment continue to develop.

Once the adult fleas have been removed from all the animals in the house and the environmental stages have been eliminated, treatment can be reappraised. In a completely indoor household where none of the pets go out, no further treatment may be necessary. However, where pets go outside further treatment will be needed, probably in the form of a single agent. This could be residual treatment that kills adult fleas on the animals or one that provides environmental control by interrupting the flea's life cycle. An on-off approach to flea control is not recommended as this provides ideal conditions for the development of flea allergy in animals.