What's the best and easiest way to keep fleas off of my house cat?

This is my standard advice

Breaking news! I've just learned of something that should provide quick and efficient relief for the cat: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200803...

Here's another new product which could be used instead of Advantage or Frontline Plus. Promeris. www.promeris.com. I am not (yet) promoting this product, but it is worth investigating further.

1. Treat the cat. Go to your vet and get either Advantage or Frontline Plus (I went with Advantage).

In addition, please know that healthy cats are less likely to become infested. I can attest to the truth of this. Last summer when Poppy got fleas, Sophie didn't. Although otherwise healthy Poppy has had her share of digestive issues. The least you can do is ensure that your cats are eating good foods (see my other blog entries on this topic.)

Keep your cats inside. You can control your home environment but you can't control the great outdoors. Even if you treat your yard, your cat may pick them up outside of that.

2. Get yourself a "flea comb" and comb your cat at least once per day. Have a bucket with dish soap in it handy to dunk the comb in and to collect the hair. Fleas can't jump out of the slippery soap. No point in combing them out only to have them jump back on your cat. Flush this down the toilet, pour it down the sink, or dispose of it away from your house.

3. Treat your house. Options are a borate powder product or something that uses diatomaceous earth. Fleabusters (BP), Fleago Natural Flea Control (BP) or Flea Away Natural Flea Powder (DE). Put about a tablespoon of this in your vacuum cleaner bag (or you can cut up a flea collar to put in there. Just follow the directions which will vary by product, but in general you'll sprinkle on the carpet and vacuum up and also sprinkle into cracks and crevices. (I chose Fleago because it's less expensive than Fleabusters. I may also try Flea Away in time).

4. Vacuum as often as possible. Before vacuuming, stomp around the house. This will bring the fleas to life because they'll think there's a tasty morsel out there. Then vacuum those little bastards up. Be sure to use your attachments to vacuum as many cracks and crevices as you can - they love to hide out there.

5. Wash any pet bedding in hot water, and you'll want to be particularly diligent about vacuuming/treating areas where your cat hangs out.

6. Treat your yard. Even if your cat doesn't go outside, fleas may enter your home if they exist in your yard. There's a small chance that you or others may bring fleas in the house with you (although this is unlikely). Get hold of some nematodes to spray in your yard. I believe you only have to do this once per year. These little creatures will eat the flea larva. As one website put it, these critters are too small to hug, but they deserve it! (I had to order this online; I wasn't able to find a place that sells them in my area and didn't feel like calling every place in the phonebook).

Things not to do: Don't use any essential oils on your cat, particularly anything with pennyroyal or eucalyptus. They're toxic to cats. Don't use flea collars. Don't give your cat any garlic/yeast formulations. Don't give your cat lemon baths.

You're going to want to continue treating your home as directed, whether that be sprinkling once per week or once a month. Continue treating throughout flea season (when it's warm). You can stop during the winter months, but start up again in the spring. You'll nip them in the bud!

The key is to treat the environment in addition to the cat. If you do that, you may never have to apply another flea product directly on them again.

Fleas can come in through the window screens or on your clothing or shoes from outside.

Vacuum the rugs and furniture. They found that 98% of fleas that get sucked up by vacuum die in the process.

Use Advantage from the vet, even at the height of flea season last year this worked for 6 solid weeks instead of the 4 they said it would.

Ditch the flea collars, they don't work and you're only exposing your pet to more pesticides. What was the flea meds you got from the vet? Revolution? Frontline? I've found Advantage works better. But you can't constantly dose a cat, the more they're exposed to the chemical doses that kill fleas, the more stress is put on their liver which has to process what goes into the cat, and you can end up with toxic organ failure. I cringe every time I hear people say they've tried 4 different things in one week and still have fleas. I wonder how many of those cats end up surviving the constant chemical doses the owners heaped on them in so short a time.

Your cat doesnt have to be an outside cat to have fleas when you go out side you could pick a flea up and bring it in the house and once you have one in your house they reproduce like crazy if you dont bomb your house with spray nothing can be in your house no animals or humans turn off everything in your house.. zodiac works the best read the box and then once you get rid of the fleas YOU MUST do that .. give your cat a flea bath and put either frontline or zodiac between thier sholder blades and keep it on them every month and you shouldnt have a problem hope this helps you alot.. i went threw the same thing. Fleas will bit you also and leave big red marks on you.

Are you sure there's no other animals around your home? Sometimes when you have a cat inside,his scent will actually attract other cats to your home maybe that's where the fleas are coming from. Take him back to the vet describe all the symptoms,maybe he has a skin condition or something and by all mean's keep him on frontline or advantadge every month.

Have you tried Front Line? I use that on my cats and it works really good. I also believe VETS have a shot that can be given to the cat so they don't get fleas. Ask your VET.

Good Luck

For more information about front line check out their website...http://frontline.us.merial.com/home/

If it that bad .... your home is probably infested with fleas. Once a month treatment with advantage keep my cat flea free.

I do know if baby oil well hurt them or not but i use it on my dog and yes i know we r talking about cats. So i ask u'r vet first be4 doing that. It is cheap too. I also use it to sunbath with too. Is what it dose to the fleas is smother them.

order advantage from 1-800-petmeds and use it every month...it is the best product on the market, and it is very safe...much safer than flea collars & dips

THERE'S SOMETHING CHEAPER THEN FRONTLINE & IT WORKED FOR ME!

it's at walmart the brand name is sergeant & its a spot on treatment that lasts for a month & its ike 8 bucks but does work!

i have mine on frontline and it works like a champ. Just make sure you put it on at the same time every month.