It's Time for Flea and Worm Treatments for Your Cat

As the weather warms up it's time to think about worm and flea treatments for your cat. As with most things, prevention is a lot easier than cure and these days there are some very effective, long lasting prescription-strength treatments available from the vet.

The most effective treatments are those that vets prescribe because they tend to be a lot more potent than any worm or flea over-the-counter or natural treatments you can find on the internet or in your local pet store.

Although fleas can be a year-round issue because most homes are centrally heated which creates the perfect warm environment for them to thrive in, it's during the warmer spring and summer months these pesky parasites can become a real problem. If your home becomes infested, getting rid of all the eggs can prove extremely challenging and you may end up having to call in the experts!

Fleas Multiply at an Alarming Rate

Fleas multiply at an alarming rate, it only takes around 6 months for 100 of these nasty parasites to turn into 10,000. If your cat picks up a lot of fleas in their coats, it can make them very sick and can bring on a condition like anaemia, not to mention the sore skin allergies they might develop which is all down to them having fleas.

If you are worried then you should talk to your vet who would be able to offer advice and prescribe the most effective treatments that will rid your cat of any nasty external and intestinal parasites.

Spot On – combined worm and flea treatments

These are very potent treatments for both fleas and worms. They are topical applications that kill off both internal and external parasites, namely fleas and intestinal worms. You only need one treatment to both kill off any existing parasites and to prevent your cat from being reinfected for a couple of months or so when you would need to give them another application.

Spot On Wormer Treatments

A vet can prescribe a broad-spectrum wormer for your cat that kills off just about every sort of intestinal worm found in our feline companions here in the UK. It's a topical application that enters through the skin into your cat's bloodstream killing off any worms that may be present in the gut which are then passed out in your cat's poo.

Spot On for Fleas and Ticks

Depending on where you live, you may need to use a treatment for ticks because cats can pick these up anywhere that wild deer regularly roam. Again, this topical application is absorbed in to the skin and once active, a cat's glands secrete fipronil which skills off fleas and ticks that may be present as well as preventing any more from taking hold.

You would need to treat your cat very four weeks so they are totally protected and prevent them from going in water or getting wet just after having been treated with the product otherwise it won't be as effective.

Flea Tablets

If you are able to give your cat tablets without any difficulty, the vet could also recommend giving them a flea treatment in tablet form which is also very potent and typically kills of any fleas within 24 hours of a cat having been given the tablet.

Worming Tablets

Worming tablets that vets prescribe are very potent and will kill off heartworm, hookworm as well as tapeworms. The great thing about some of these tablets is they are flavoured with things like beef which makes giving them to your cat that much easier. However, you would need to repeat the treatment every 3 months to make sure your pet is protected throughout the year.

Flea Treatment in Injection Form

Your vet can also give your cat an injection that will protect them against fleas for around 6 months. This is a very powerful treatment that prevents flea eggs from developing into adults if they hatch out.

Do Indoor Cats Need Treating?

If you share your home with an indoor cat, you still need to treat them for fleas and worms because people can introduce these nasty parasites into the home without realising it. Keeping on top of the problem is essential because a nice warm house is the perfect environment for fleas to thrive in.

Prescription-strength treatments are that much better at controlling fleas and worms in our feline friends and although slightly more expensive, they are definitely worthwhile. This together with frequent vacuuming will help reduce the chance of a flea infestation taking hold both on your cat and in your home.

Best Household Flea Sprays

It's definitely worth investing in a household spray that boasts a triple action because it breaks the life cycle of fleas and offers at least 12 months protection around the home. Fleas get paralysed which prevents them from biting either you or your cat. Adult fleas are killed and the same happens to the larvae which are prevented from developing into adults making this type of spray the most effective to use around the home.

Conclusion

If you at all worried about your cat getting fleas whether they are allowed outside or not, you should talk to your vet and ask them to recommend prescription-strength treatments for fleas, worms and ticks. You should also invest in a very good quality household flea spray because treating your cat is not enough, you also need to treat their environment to really stay on top of things this summer.