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The flea is an external parasite that likes to live on the skin of your cat. Not only are these little parasites responsible for causing irritation, they can also sometimes carry other diseases which can be harmful to your cat. As you groom your feline companion, you should make a point to thoroughly examine his or her coat in an attempt to seek out evidence of parasites like the flea.

Fleas are a tiny insect which is responsible for feeding on the blood of animals, which causes somewhere between mild and serious amounts of discomfort for the animal. Fleas can cause chronic scratching problems, and if ever consumed by a cat, may also transmit tapeworms to the cat. The most common of all allergies that affects the cat is the flea bite allergy, which occurs when a cat is exposed to the saliva of the flea after the flea has bitten the cat. This saliva acts like an allergen would, which causes intense itching, hair loss and even skin infections at times. In order to manage this type of allergy and to restore some comfort to your cat, proper flea control is absolutely essential.

Fleas can hatch anywhere within the environment of the cat, including in outdoor areas, indoor furniture, carpeting and even in the bedding of your cat. Your cat’s entire environment must be treated as a whole, and the cat must also be treated if you want your treatment to be effective. In order to keep a flea-free environment, you absolutely must be able to deal with each and every one of the stages in the complete flea life cycle. Eggs are often laid on the cat, hatched wherever they fall from the cat, and then picked up once again by the cat once the eggs have hatched into newborn and developing fleas. It only takes between 4 and 7 days for a newly laid flea egg to hatch into a developing flea, and flea tend to lay hundreds if not thousands of eggs within their lifetime.

There are several different preparations that are available when it comes to flea control. Your veterinarian can offer a once-a-month tablet for your pet to swallow, or a once-a-month liquid which is put on the back of the cat’s neck. Both of these are extremely popular preventatives. The tablet only kills flea eggs, while the liquid preventative is generally capable of repelling and killing fleas, and killing the eggs as well. Make sure that whatever treatment plan you use works to kill fleas at every stage of their life cycle, as the only effective flea treatment plan is a complete one.