How to Get Rid of Cat Fleas

How to Get Rid of Cat Fleas

Start with everything your pet sleeps or lies on. Wash pet beds, blankets, throw rugs and slipcovers in hot water and dry them on high heat, which kills eggs, larvae and adults. Repeat each week until the fleas are gone. Run a fine-toothed flea comb through your pet’s coat over a bowl of soapy water to remove adults and see whether numbers are falling. Indoors, keep the air conditioning running or use a dehumidifier, because flea larvae dry out in dry air. Pick up clutter from floors and under beds so treatment can reach the places larvae hide. Outdoors, keep the grass mowed, rake up leaf litter and pull weeds near the house.

Why Flea Control Takes Weeks and How to Stay Ahead of It

Most of a flea population lives off the pet as eggs, larvae and pupae in carpet, bedding and shady spots outside. Pupae sit in protective cocoons, and new adults keep emerging for weeks after treatment starts, so a few fleas two or three weeks in is normal.

• Treat every pet in the household at the same time with a product your veterinarian recommends. One untreated animal keeps the cycle going.
• Vacuum daily for the first couple of weeks. Vibration coaxes new fleas out of their cocoons, where they are easier to kill. Empty the canister outdoors.
• Check shady spots where pets rest outside, such as under decks and in crawlspaces. Larvae do poorly in hot, dry sun.
• Keep wildlife out from under the house and sheds, since opossums, raccoons and stray cats carry cat fleas.

Common mistakes: treating the pet but not the home, or the home but not the pet; stopping after a week; putting a dog flea product on a cat, which can be dangerous; and relying on foggers, which miss fleas deep in carpet and under furniture.

A professional treatment begins with an inspection to find where fleas are developing inside and out. Hot spots inside and out are treated in step with your pet’s vet care, wildlife access is addressed, and a follow-up visit a couple of weeks later catches newly emerged fleas. See signs of a cat flea infestation.