It’s a common misconception that cats that stay indoors are safe from pests, parasites, and fleas. While the inside of your home can be a safer place for cats, it does not mean these pesky fleas won’t find their way into your home to trouble your pets. 

What are Fleas?

Fleas are tiny parasites that love jumping into pets and getting their blood. They affect animals of all kinds, especially household pets such as cats. While they may seem too small to cause serious damage, they can carry diseases and cause discomfort in cats. 

Can Indoor Cats Get Fleas?

Even though your cats stay indoors, fleas can make a pet’s life miserable. They can easily jump and make their way into your homes and onto your cats. Whether it’s the environment, a human, or an animal, fleas can make anything their vessel. Here are some of the ways indoor cats can get fleas:

Animals

Other animals that enter your home from the outside, whether it be from a friend or a neighbor, can bring fleas with them to your indoor cat. Fleas can easily jump into their pets and hitch a ride into your house. Once they reach your indoor cat, they can easily decide to jump in your cat, causing lots of trouble.

Humans

We humans can also become unsuspecting carriers of fleas. They can attach themselves to our clothes, bags, shoes, and other things we carry outside our house. We might leave the house and return with them clinging onto our belongings. Even a quick visit outside can allow fleas to latch onto your belongings if you’ve encountered a flea-infested area.

Environment

The area you’re living in could also increase the chance of your indoor cat getting fleas. While they may remain inside, fleas are super mobile. This means that they can easily enter your homes through the windows, doors, and even the tiniest of openings. While wingless, they can jump up to two feet and reach most corners of your home. 

In some cases, transferring to a new home could also cause your indoor cat to get fleas. The new apartment or house, especially if it’s old, can harbor fleas.

Used Furniture

Used furniture, especially sofas, rugs, and carpets, can have fleas. These types of furniture, coupled with the right temperature, can serve as the perfect spot for breeding additional fleas. Since fleas and their eggs can survive in thick carpets and rugs, it’s possible that an infestation can threaten your indoor cat’s health.

Signs Your Indoor Cats Have Fleas

While they are small, fleas bring a great deal of concern to your cat’s health. Here are some of the signs you’ll see when your indoor cats get fleas:

Excessive Scratching

One of the most obvious signs of fleas in your cats is scratching or biting at their skin. Fleas can cause infections from the bacteria they carry, which can lead to itchy areas. You may notice your indoor cats using their hind legs to scratch or using their tongue to lick certain areas.

Irritated Skin

Some areas of the skin can become irritated due to the irritation caused by fleas and constant scratching. This is common for areas where your cat can reach, such as the belly and the base of the tail. You’ll notice these areas to be inflamed, red, or swollen.

Visible Fleas

While they are small, fleas can be visible if you take a closer look at your cat’s fur. They appear brown or darkish brown, and they are super fast, so keep an eye out for any sign of movement. Possible areas could be the neck, belly, and the base of your cat’s tail.

Hair Loss

One of the main causes of hair loss and balding in cats is flea infestation. You’d expect to see these signs at the base of the tail. Hair loss usually happens when fleas cause allergic reactions in your cat, and it starts to overgroom as a reaction. In addition, hair loss can happen when your cat frequently scratches the area because of the immense irritation and discomfort.

Discomfort

A flea infestation can make your cat feel super uncomfortable and agitated because of the annoying nature of these pesky parasites. You’ll start to notice your cat moving and unable to stay still while also having trouble falling asleep. Vocalizations can also be a sign of discomfort.

Getting Rid of Fleas in Indoor Cats

Removing fleas in indoor cats starts with a thorough health checkup from our vets. Once we have an idea of your cat’s health and its flea condition, we can get straight to treatment. Here are the treatment options we suggest: 

Flea Combs

Flea combs are simple tools but prove to be super effective. This fine-toothed tool removes fleas and flea dirt from your cat’s coat, keeping them free from these pesky parasites. This can be used on several areas, such as a cat’s neck, belly, and the area around the tail. 

After each stroke of the comb, be sure to dip this into a solution of warm water with a bit of soap. This makes sure that you are removing the fleas and not spreading them onto your cat’s body. While this is not a full treatment option, it’s great for getting started and giving your cat relief.

Topical Treatments

Topical or spot-on treatments are medications that are directly applied to cats' bodies, usually on the back of the neck, to prevent them from licking the ointment. This will help get rid of the fleas for a few months and can be bought. However, we do recommend visiting the clinic first so we can help you choose the right product for your cat.

Popular choices include Bravecto, Revolution Plus, and Advantage II, which are all great options. To help you, we’ll suggest the best ones based on your cat’s health condition and the schedule you need based on your responsibilities.

Oral Medications

If your cat does not like topical treatments, we suggest using oral medications. These treatment options can be super effective in killing the fleas from the inside. However, we do require cats to ingest the whole tablet to make sure each treatment is accurate and consistent. 

For oral medications, you’ll mostly need a prescription before you’re able to purchase these treatments. Luckily, we can easily give you a quick prescription and the medicine right at our vet pharmacy. 

Flea Collars

Flea collars offer long-term protection for cats, with eight months of protection. One of the most popular options right now is the Seresto collar. This treatment method is able to kill existing fleas within a few hours and is super effective in repelling new fleas that want to come in. 

Preventing Fleas in Indoor Cats

Once you’ve treated your indoor cat’s flea problem, it’s time to prevent this from happening again. Fleas can create some serious discomfort for your cats, and it’s important to prevent that from getting in the way of your best friend's happiness. Here are the ways you can prevent fleas in indoor cats:

Routine Flea Treatments

Regular flea prevention is always useful for cats, whether they go indoors or outdoors. Fleas can enter your homes and cause trouble for your best friends, which is why regularly having flea treatments can be super helpful. There’s also a wide variety of options to choose from to help protect your indoor cats from fleas.

Home Maintenance

A well-maintained home helps keep your cats free from fleas, especially if other pets live with them or your home is in an area where fleas are common. With a good cleaning routine, you can help reduce the chance of fleas interrupting your cat’s daily life. 

A good start would be to regularly wash and clean your cat’s bedding and blankets. These surfaces are excellent options for fleas to lay eggs in, which is why having these regularly cleaned helps prevent fleas from getting to your indoor cats. 

Regular Vet Visits

Bringing your cat to the clinic helps us keep your best friend’s health in check. On every visit, we thoroughly check on its condition to look out for any potential health issues.  We’ll also be able to help you in administering flea treatments to prevent any parasites from harming your cat.

Cat Grooming

Grooming your cats is an excellent way to make sure their bodies are free not only from fleas but also from allergens and debris. By using medicated soaps and anti-flea shampoos, your cats will feel super clean and protected with each bath. To help you, we also offer professional grooming services so your cat can get a super deep clean.

Conclusion

Indoor cats can get fleas, and it’s our responsibility to help them get rid of these parasites. With a good understanding of fleas, we can help get rid of your indoor cat’s fleas and take steps to prevent them from harming your cat. With topical treatments, oral medications, and flea collars ready to assist you, we guarantee a safe and happy life for your cat.