Keeping Fleas off Cats - Wally's Guide

My name is Wally, but my human Mom mostly calls me Wally Baba, even though I was originally named after Walt Whitman. My brother is Otie, named after Otis Redding. When we were wee little buggers, someone left us in a box on the roof of a car. Luckily Mom saw us in a Facebook post and saved us both. Wally and I are really happy that we are together and we have parents who love us. They could spoil us a little more, but that's a different story.

Life was pretty perfect until the fleas showed up. Fleas are yucky little insects that jump really high and far with their long hind legs. They are worse than rabbits in how quickly they multiply.  And they hide all over the place - on us, in fabrics, in the carpet, and even in our beds. Fleas are parasites that drink 15 times their body weight in blood daily. Yikes. They feed and then quickly make thousands of little flea eggs. 

We don't like being the source of that meal. Otie and I know that when we have one flea there are at least a hundred or more on the way. I mean, look at how beautiful and regal we are... fleas are just so icky. What's really weird is that we are indoor cats. We never get to go outside...but that's a tale for another day.

I'm kind of a geeky cat, (Otie is the warm and fuzzy one), and when my parents leave for work, I hop on the desk and do research on my dad's laptop. My paws are just the right size for the keys. Dogs are the cause of my aggravation. Fleas will hitch a ride on a dog, or even one of my humans, and then jump onto me or Otie once they get in the house. Then they start biting me and making me all itchy. Grrrrrr....

When the fleas get in my fur, I can't help it... I start to scratch and bite on myself and then my mom gets upset with me. I try to tell her it's not my fault, but she doesn't speak cat. Pity... I think Otie tried to leave her a note once, but she thought he just put muddy paw prints on the counter.  Anyways, here is what you need to do.

Keep fleas off me and Otie...

• Brush my fur with a flea comb. It's the easiest, cheapest and most effective way to get fleas off my fur.
• Use a special cat shampoo immediately and then every 7 days (personally I hate baths and am mad that Otie put this suggestion on here...).
• Use apple cider vinegar - fleas hate that stuff. Spray a 50/50 vinegar and water solution on a pet's fur before letting them outside to play.
• Wash your bedding with soap and hot water.
• Use boric acid powder as a carpet, upholstery and floor flea-killer.
• Apply monthly flea medication like Advantage or get a Seresto flea collar.

Keep fleas out of the house...

1. Keep your furry felines indoors. Fleas generally live and breed outdoors.
2. Vacuum the floor and furniture.
3. Fleas love dark places, so clean under furniture and in crevices.
4. Fog your house - Some foggers are effective up to 7 months, long enough to kill all the life stages of a flea.
5. Keep the yard clean.

Help for Mom (and dad) too...

• Wash the area first to keep infection from spreading.
• Avoid scratching the bite, which is hard because they itch like crazy.
• To make itching feel better use ice packs, aloe vera, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, tea tree oil, or used tea bags.

And most importantly... get some help remembering your routine! Mom uses the Scollar mobile app. The app is so smart that it let's mom know when fleas are becoming a problem where we live.  Even better... the app suggests the best treatment for me and sends it right to our house!  Mom is so happy now! 

You can get it here!