We might love our cats, but no one loves having to deal with a flea infestation! Besides being irritating for you and your cat, fleas can trigger allergies and skin irritation. They can also transmit bacteria and tapeworms. The best way to keep you or your cat from suffering is to actively protect your home from fleas.
We rounded up the top six ways to keep your cat flea-free and feeling happy. Implementing multiple strategies will provide the best protection, helping to ensure that fleas don’t stand a chance!
The 6 Ways to Prevent Fleas on Cats
1. Use flea prevention for cats regularly
The most effective way to keep your cat free of fleas is to use flea treatments year-round. These come in a variety of formats, including:
You may need to experiment to find the most suitable flea treatment for your cat. While some products are available over the counter, prescription treatments are typically the most effective.
It’s important to be cautious with so-called “natural” flea treatments. Many of these lack scientific backing, and some can even be harmful. Essential oils like peppermint and tea tree oil can be included in these products, but cats lack the necessary liver enzymes to metabolize them safely, making them highly toxic. For the best results, choose a prescription flea treatment that targets all life stages of the flea — adults, eggs, and larvae. This approach is key to breaking the flea life cycle and keeping your cat truly flea-free.
2. Keep your cat indoors
Most of the fleas that your cat picks up will come from outdoors. One of the most effective ways of keeping your cat flea-free (as well as using regular flea treatments) is to keep your cat indoors. While indoor cats can still get fleas from visitors or sitting in an outdoor cat enclosure, they’re at a much lower risk than cats allowed to roam outside freely.
3. Vacuum your house regularly
Anywhere your cat goes, there’s a potential for fleas, eggs, and larvae to drop off. Even if you’ve removed all the fleas from your cat, if you don’t take steps to remove them from your house as well, the cycle will never end!
The pupae, the most resistant stage, can survive for around 6 months waiting for a host (you or your cat). During that time, they’ll simply wait for a host to walk past, and when it does, they’ll hop on and start feeding! This means if you move into a house that recently had a flea infestation, it likely still has fleas in different stages in cracks in floors or under the edges of rugs. The larvae are stimulated to mature into adult fleas by vibrations and warmth.
Vacuuming your house at least once a week will help remove 40-80% of flea eggs but only 5% of larvae. Make sure to vacuum soft furnishings and carpets. It’s also important to empty the bag or canister straight into the trash.
- Related Read: My Cat Has Fleas – How Do I Clean My House?
4. Steam-clean soft furnishings and carpets
Steam cleaning is a great way of killing fleas, eggs, and larvae on the soft furnishings and carpets around your house. You may want to vacuum afterward to remove any dead fleas, eggs, and larvae that were killed by the heat of the steam.
5. Clean your cat’s bed regularly
Even if you’ve treated your cat with flea medication, there may be flea eggs and larvae in their bed. As these hatch and mature into adult fleas, they will jump onto your cat (and you!), and the cycle of flea infestation will begin again.
Put your cat’s bedding through a hot wash, and tumble dry at least once a month. More often is recommended if you’re currently trying to get rid of a flea infestation. The heat from the wash and tumble dry will kill any fleas, flea eggs, and larvae on the bedding.
Check the manufacturer’s instructions first, as some cat beds, including self-heating beds, can’t be washed on a hot cycle.
6. Keep your backyard neat and tidy
If they end up outdoors, fleas will breed in shady and damp areas that aren’t in direct sun. By making sure any areas close to your house are well-tended, you can keep the potential number of fleas in your backyard to a minimum.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your cat flea-free may seem difficult, but with the appropriate precautions and regular cleaning, it should be manageable. Make sure that your cat is on safe and effective flea treatment year-round. Regularly clean your house, including carpets and soft furnishings, and keep your backyard clear and tidy. Keeping your cat indoors may also help. These simple steps should help you make sure fleas stay far away from your pets – and you!
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Featured Image Credit: Maja Marjanovic, Shutterstock
