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just found a flea on our cat, do we go full nuclear? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Our cat Athena is a fluffy girl and we just found a flea on her, we removed it and crushed it but now my girlfriend is freaking out and her skin is squirming thinking the whole house could be infested. I'm of the opinion that we've caught it early and we should just check her usual sleeping spots as well as get a flea comb but my girl is damn near ready to buy a steam cleaner for the rug.

Idk, what do you guys think? How should we handle this?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)

            
              never let your cat outside.  Even when you're not in Ottawa where the urban coyote population works to control the 'outside cat' infestation, it's no longer cool to let your cat out.  If you hate mosquitoes, for instance, keep all cats indoors all the time.
use a vet-approved pill treatment - even when no visible signs
wash everything ... at the least to combat anxiety.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

That's the thing, she's an indoor cat, we have no idea where the flea came from

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Point 1 has to be chosen when the cat is young. Forcing an outside cat to suddenly only be inside often doesn't work.

I adopted a 7-year-old cat from the shelter, and after a week of having to be inside all the time, he got more and more frustrated. After a week and a half, he escaped during the night. In the morning, while I was panicking, he came strolling in as if nothing was wrong.

Since he apparently comes back, I allowed him outside from then on. Since that moment, his behaviour inside has improved a lot. No more random play attacks on my ankles and hands, and generally much calmer.

He has also come back home with mice several times. He always eats them. So I think he is very used to living outside. Maybe been a stray, or a farm cat.

Forcing him to be inside would feel cruel.