Fleas in cats: your ultimate guide

Discover how to identify, treat and prevent cat fleas, with help from our veterinary expert.

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Even the cleanest cats can catch fleas, and these tiny pests can cause a lot of stress and irritation to both you and your pet. Read on to find out how to get rid of fleas on cats, banish them from your home and stop them coming back.

What are cat fleas?

Fleas are small, wingless insects that live as parasites on the bodies of other animals, feeding on their blood. There are many different species of flea, such as cat fleas, dog fleas and human fleas, and some species can infest more than one type of host.

Certain stages of the flea life cycle can survive in the environment for many months without a host. Multiplying in warm, humid weather, they’re more common outside in spring and summer – but thanks to central heating, they can survive in our homes during autumn and winter too.

How do cats get fleas?

Your cat can easily pick up fleas from their environment, fellow cats or other animals if they regularly spend time outside. However, fleas can also come into your home on clothes, shoes and belongings, or transfer onto your cat during a trip to the cattery or vet.

Whether you have an indoor or outdoor cat, you’ll save your pet (and yourself) a lot of trouble if you use regular, proactive flea treatments to prevent an infestation. Providing this routine, vet-recommended care will also help ensure your cat insurance cover remains valid.

How to tell if your cat has fleas

Fleas on cats are not easy to spot, especially because cats are so good at grooming them away. You’ll need to examine your cat very closely, or look out for physical symptoms. You may also notice a few unexplained insect bites on human family members.

What do cat fleas look like?

Fleas on cats are only around 1–2mm long and dark brown in colour. While you might notice them scurrying around in your cat’s fur, they can be particularly tricky to detect on darker cats.

You might also spot small black specks in your cat’s coat or bedding, which could be flea dirt (or flea droppings).

One way to check for fleas on cats is to gently groom your cat with a comb. Shake the comb onto a damp piece of white paper or kitchen towel and look for fleas or droppings. Flea droppings often leave a reddish-brown mark on moist white paper, due to the digested blood they contain.

Signs of fleas on cats

Even if you don’t spot any fleas, your cat’s behaviour and appearance may show telltale signs of an infestation. Symptoms may include:

• Repeated scratching
• Excessive grooming
• Patches of hair loss
• Irritated or sore skin
• Lethargy or pale gums (especially in kittens)

These symptoms can indicate a range of health problems, so if you’re not sure what’s behind them, always get your cat checked out by your vet.

Cat flea bites and their risks

Being bitten by fleas can be a very itchy and uncomfortable experience for our cats, and also result in other health problems. For example, flea allergies in pets are relatively common, due to a painful allergic reaction to flea saliva in the cat flea bites. These inflamed areas sometimes lead to further issues, such as skin infections from all the scratching.

Fleas can carry other diseases and parasites – such as tapeworms – and pass these on to your pets. Heavy flea infestations can cause kittens and older animals to become seriously anaemic, due to the blood loss from the bites. So if you discover your cat has fleas, it’s important to get them treated as soon as possible.

How to get rid of fleas on cats

Always use a vet-approved treatment to tackle cat fleas, and don’t forget to treat your home environment too. Prescription-only parasiticides are your best option as they act quickly and typically kill a range of parasites such as ticks and mites, as well as fleas. Ask your vet to recommend one that suits your cat.

Treatments for fleas on cats include:

• Spot-on products: Dropped onto your cat’s neck via a pipette, these are usually effective for up to a month. Some brands target all stages of the life cycle, while others only kill adult fleas.
• Tablets: These stop flea eggs from developing into adults, which breaks the flea life cycle. But if your cat doesn’t like taking tablets, they can be trickier to administer.
• Powders: When dusted over your cat’s skin, these kill adult fleas – but they don’t affect flea eggs or larvae. It can also be difficult to make sure your cat’s entire body is covered.
• Collars: These contain chemicals to suppress the development of fleas, but they’re not always effective. Cats with sensitive skin may have a reaction to flea collars.
• Shampoo: This is designed to kill adult fleas, but it doesn’t treat eggs or larvae. As many owners find it difficult to bathe their cats, this isn’t usually the easiest option.

Always make sure that any medication you use is approved by your vet and designed specifically for cats. Using a flea product meant for dogs could fatally poison your cat. In a multi-pet household, every cat, dog or rabbit will need to be treated to prevent transmission.

Natural remedies for fleas on cats are also available, but these aren’t always effective. Some may even contain essential oils, such as tea tree or citronella, which can be toxic to cats.

How to get rid of cat fleas in the home

Only the adult fleas actually live on your pet, with as many as 95% of flea eggs and larvae living in your home, bedding, carpets and soft furnishings. So, to break the lifecycle that produces the adult fleas for good, it’s essential to treat your house:

• Wash your cat’s bedding and wash or steam clean any rugs, sofas or cushions they sit on. Don’t forget your own bedding if your cat likes to sleep on the bed.
• Thoroughly vacuum all of your carpets and soft furnishings, and replace the dust bag after each use to prevent flea eggs and larvae developing.
• Use a household insecticide spray designed to target fleas – but be sure to choose one that’s safe for use around cats, and keep your cat out of any rooms you’re treating.
• Regular flea treatments will then help keep your cat (and home!) a flea-free zone.