5-Day Inventory Blow-Out Sale! December 26-31, 2008

Don't miss this huge sale - practically everything on the website will be discounted - fabrics, patterns, gifts, notions, stitcheries, kits! Help us clear inventory to make room for new products and to help us get ready for the spring flea season. Ugh!

Flea Prevention - How The Feline Drive Cats Are Kept Flea-Free

If you have ever had an experience with fleas, you know how fast the situation can get out of control if ignored! With only one or two pets, in a few weeks you can have a houseful of fleas, so imagine having over 20 cats to take care of! Here's how we manage to keep our kitties happily flea-free all year round.

If you have a cat or two or three (or four or five or...) and you are able to handle all of them, the solution is easy - use one of the once-a-month topical products such as Advantage or FrontLine/Frontline Plus (do NOT use BioSpot). Applied to the back of the neck, it spreads into the oil glands under the skin and is continually reapplied to the skin and hair through the hair follicles for at least a month. We tend to use Frontline Plus most of the time, even though it is most expensive, because it has proven to be the most effective product too, so in the long run it is well worth the money. For the cats we can handle, this works great and protects them from ticks too.

Controlling fleas in a feral colony takes a little more creativity and patience. When we first trap a feral cat, when he goes off to the vet to be neutered, we ask the vet to apply Revolution while kitty is asleep. Revolution not only works like other topicals to kill fleas and flea eggs, but it also will kill ear mites, roundworms, and hookworms, and will prevent heartworm. This gets the kitty off to a good start. When the cat is brought home, we confine him to a kennel in the cat room where he can get used to the sights and smells of the other cats and the routine of feeding and cleaning. After he's comfortable with the other cats (and hopefully me too), he gets to be free in the room, but is not allowed outside yet - he has to understand that this is home now, so he won't go wandering off as soon as he's let out again. It depends on the cat, but usually that takes about a month, at which time it's time for another flea treatment - and how can we accomplish this?

First, it's important to understand a little more about how Frontline works - treated cats act as "flea magnets" - attracting fleas wherever they go and killing them within about 18 hours. These fleas never get a chance to lay eggs, since they must be on the cat for about 24 -36 hours before they can lay eggs. An untreated cat will also act as a flea magnet, but the fleas will not be killed, and within a day or two, will lay eggs, most of which will fall off the cat easily. When these eggs hatch (and each flea will lay about 50 eggs per day), a whole new batch of hungry fleas will be waiting for kitty to walk by! So, what can you do if you have feral cats that won't let you near them to apply Frontline?

First, all the cats that can be treated, must be treated! Each kitty that can act as a flea magnet to kill fleas before they can lay eggs will be a tremendous help in keeping the number of fleas down. For those that will not be handled, I've found that in the morning when they are first fed, some of the ferals will allow me to pet them while they are eating - I'm not sure if they even realize it is me who is petting them, as they are all standing close together around the food bowls. I take that opportunity to sneak in the applicator and get at least one dosed. They recognize the smell pretty quickly and head for the hills, but come back just as quickly to finish breakfast. In some cases I find it easier to apply the dose using a syringe (without the needle), as it seems to hide the smell of the product a little better and can be applied more quickly - just put the tip of the syringe under the coat and push! For the kitties that I can't get near enough to use the sneaky approach, it's possible to retrap them and to then spray them through the cage with Frontline spray. However, this is a last resort reserved for a really bad infestation, as they learn quickly not to come near the trap after that stressful experience, and I'd rather not traumatize them so that I can't trap them when it is really necessary, like an injury. I have also had the vet provide me with an oral flea treatment which can be put in the cat's food when I've had cats with bad infestations - this will kill adult fleas that are on the cat to provide immediate relief, but will not provide long-term protection.

Next, treat the environment! In the cat room, vacuuming is a nearly daily activity (someday I'd love to be able to afford a Rumba.. check out the video of the kitty riding the Rumba vacuum on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI)! Vacuuming collects not only lots of adult fleas, but the eggs and larva too. All bedding is laundered at least once a week too. As a final step, the room is sprayed with Frontline, which is also available in a pump spray, and contains the same ingredients that will kill adults, eggs, and larva. In the warm months, we use an outdoor spray as well at least once a month.

I've noticed a big reduction in the amount of "flea dirt" since putting these steps into practice, and a reduction in the amount of scratching by even the untreated cats, so while it's not possible to kill 100% of fleas, at least they are kept to a manageable level and the cats are not tormented by them the way they would be if no efforts at all were made!

Of course I can't end this without mentioning how expensive all this is - a single Frontline monthly dose can run $10-$13. Multiply that by 22 cats and it becomes quite costly. As usual, thanks to everyone for shopping at Feline Drive which is how we pay the kitty bills!