Keeping Your Cat Safe from Fleas and Ticks

At Costa Mesa Animal Hospital in Costa Mesa, CA. We offer our services to Newport Beach, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, and Costa Mesa.

We take pride in our work, provide excellent care for your animals, and serve our community with top-notch service. Get in touch with our veterinarian to discuss flea and tick prevention for your pet.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas are extremely common with furry mammals, especially cats. Fleas have the potential to carry potentially dangerous or even fatal diseases. Fleas also cause constant physical discomfort for your pet.

Ticks are less common in cats, but more dangerous because they transmit diseases very commonly when they attach to their victim.

The Two-Step Process for Flea and Tick Removal and Prevention

Protecting your cat from parasites is a simple two-part process.

Kill Existing Fleas and Ticks

Briefly check your cat every day for fleas and ticks. If you ever find any, use a cat-approved, cat-safe insecticide to kill all the fleas and ticks. Insecticides come in a number of forms, including shampoos, sprays, and oral doses. 

Ask our veterinarian for flea and tick killer recommendations. Every area is different and has slight variations of the species of fleas and ticks that live there, so our veterinarian’s recommendation can be highly useful.

Prevent Future Fleas and Ticks

Next, make some beneficial lifestyle changes. If your cat is outdoors, but can stay indoors, do that. If your cat is indoors, but occasionally free-roams outsides, stop allowing that. Not only will your cat (and local, native wildlife) be safer, but your cat will also be significantly less likely to pick up any new fleas and ticks.

Ask your cat’s veterinarian for topical prevention products too, and use accordingly. Sprays, pet collars, and oral doses are available. Find which works best for you and your pet.

Flea and Tick Disease Testing

Even with a flea and tick killer plus a parasite preventative, your cat is always at some level of risk for contracting diseases from fleas and ticks.

Because of this, it is important to conduct physical examinations every six to twelve months. It is also important that your cat receive diagnostic bloodwork at your local veterinary practice in order to test for diseases.

Another good practice is to conduct fecal examinations at least twice every year for adult felines and at least four times for kittens during their first year of life.

Request an Appointment at Costa Mesa Animal Hospital Today

We would love to help you and your four-legged friend. Our practice proudly offers our veterinary care to Newport Beach, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, and Costa Mesa, CA.

You may reach us by calling us at (949) 548-3794, send us an email at [email protected], request an appointment online by clicking here, or visit us at our Costa Mesa location at 480 E 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.