help treat fleas and prevent parasites in cats

How to spot fleas on cats:

Cats with fleas typically scratch themselves a lot, especially on their ears, necks, or hindquarters. Take a regular look through your kitty’s hair with a cat comb. You may be able to spot little black fleas or red-brown flea “dirt” — which is actually flea poop, and mostly dried blood — on your pet’s skin or the comb. If your pet has a flea allergy, be on the lookout for aggravated itchiness, red and irritated skin, and patchy fur.

What to do:

Bring your pet into your veterinary team ASAP. (Kittens especially are at risk from blood loss with a bad flea infestation.) We’ll be able to confirm an infestation, suggest an appropriate treatment, and prescribe an effective, year-round flea prevention regimen. Flea prevention comes in many different forms and is often combined with other parasite control. Talk to your team about what they recommend.

You will also need to treat your home, yard, and other pets for fleas with a cat-safe pesticide. Ask your veterinary team before you begin, since cats can be very sensitive to pesticides. This is a big reason why we always recommend flea prevention instead of treatment — it helps you, your pets, and your family avoid an ongoing whole-house hassle!

How to spot ticks on cats:

Look for small bumps on your pet during petting sessions. Part the hair. If you see a weird little lump — it may look like a blood-filled bean — yep, that’s a tick.

What to do:

You can try removing the tick on your own (we’ve got tips), and put that nasty little bloodsucker in a plastic bag to bring to the vet. Or, you can just make an appointment and head on over with your kittyBAE. Either way, talk to your veterinary team about possible tick-borne disease symptoms you should know. We’ll be able to remove the ticks, recommend treatment for secondary disease (if needed), and prescribe effective year-round tick control. Plus, many tick prevention meds come with flea control and more to help protect your pet.

How to spot worms in cats:

Warning signs for worms include diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, an unhappy coat, a swollen tummy, and visible worms in poop or vomit. Kittens are at special risk of dying from blood loss if they pick up worms, which they can even get through their mama’s milk. (People can get some types of worms by accidentally eating tiny eggs on their hands, so wash up, please!)

What to do:

There are many different kinds of worms that can camp out in your cat’s intestines. Grab a sample of any wormy poop or puke in a clean bag or container — yes, really, it can help a lot with diagnosis — and take it and your cat to the vet ASAP. Your veterinary team will do a complete physical exam and run tests to try to identify the worm. Then we’ll recommend a deworming regimen to dislodge the parasites, plus an effective worm prevention medication to help protect your kittyBAE from future infestations.

How to spot ear mites in cats:

Ear mites are teeny little spider-like critters that live inside ear canals, causing intense itchiness as they feed off blood and ear wax (ew). Cats with ear mites will often shake their heads or paw or scratch at their ears. If you spot these signs, gently take a look inside your cat’s ears for black or brown rusty discharge. It may smell really funky. This mite crud is a telltale sign that your kitty’s ears need help from a vet.

What to do:

Don’t try to treat ear mites at home, because many home remedies can actually make matters worse. Cat head shaking and ear pawing are symptoms of many different ear issues, including ear infections. You don’t want to cause more problems by treating the wrong thing!

If your cat is having any ear issue, bring them in to see your veterinary team. We can help diagnose the correct issue, clean out the ear, and prescribe mite-battling medication. We’ll even show you the correct way to clean kitty ears and get meds into their ear canal.

How to spot digestion issues:

Cats often retch up hair (and grass and sometimes food), but repeated bouts of vomiting and diarrhea are danger signs that your cat needs to see the vet. Little kittens especially are at risk for rapid dehydration, so don’t wait.

Note: Cat digestive distress can be caused by many things, including contagious microbial parasites. Please be extra sanitary and wash your hands really well when handling your pet or their byproducts.

What to do:

Bring your kitty in to see your veterinary team right away. We’ll do a complete physical exam and run tests to see what’s causing your cat’s digestion woes. Depending on what we find, we’ll discuss different treatment options with you to try to help your kittyBAE.