How to Bathe a Cat With Fleas

Detecting if your cat has fleas requires you to pay attention to it and observe its behavior daily. These are the main symptoms of fleas in cats; see if yours shows them to act as soon as possible.

Read also: Best Dog Breeds for Children.

• Scratching the body excessively and almost continuously.
• Increased irritability and sudden changes in behavior due to the discomfort caused by fleas.
• Hair problems, such as hair loss or progressive loss of shine.
• Lesions on the skin.
• Allergic reactions are especially pronounced on the tail and back. These areas will have irritated and reddened and even with a small wound, feeling very itchy.
• It is possible that other animals and people who live in the same house also have flea bites.
• You can see how fleas jump over the body of the cat, especially if it has a light-colored coat and if there are many of these parasites.
• You will have to check their hair daily and see if they have excrements of these parasites: black dots all over the body.

After identifying the symptoms, it is time to look at how to bathe a cat with fleas step by step. Follow these steps to make it an enjoyable time, or at least as relaxed as possible:

1. Put your cat in the bathtub and close the bathroom door to prevent it from running away. Maintain a loving tone at all times when speaking to reassure them.
2. You can put two cotton balls in his ears so that water does not get in during the bath.
3. Put water in the bathtub or in the basin, which is a little warm, and put the cat in, making sure that the water only covers its legs, without reaching its belly.
4. Once it is adapted to the feeling of having wet feet, wet the other areas of the body with your hand. As you progress, use the small container to make sure you get all the parts wet. It can be, for example, a plastic cup or something similar. The other box that we have discussed in the advice section will have to have it ready with hot water and leave it by your side.
5. Apply the cat flea shampoo on her body. Apply some water and shampoo around the neck first, like a collar, so fleas don't escape onto the head so easily.
6. Massage all areas of your cat's body with the shampoo, especially the head (being careful not to touch the eyes), the tail, and the neck. Take special care of the nose, eyes, and ears. If the shampoo gets in your eyes or nose, wash them with water as soon as possible to avoid irritating your skin. If the shampoo gets into the ears, it is better to use cotton to remove it.
7. You will notice that fleas move a lot to escape, but it will cost them a lot. When you see them, take them by hand or remove them with the help of a comb and put them in the second small container, which you will have previously filled with hot water to make sure they die and you can have them collected and dispose of them.
8. Use a fine comb taking advantage of the foam generated by the shampoo to remove the fleas and pour them into the hot water container.
9. Rinse the entire body of the cat with water to remove the remains of the shampoo.

Also read: How to Bathe an Aggressive Cat.

Flea shampoo for cats is one of the products that you can use to eliminate these parasites from the feline's body, but there are also natural remedies with which you can achieve this. First of all, you need to know some tips on the application of specific products to remove fleas and prevent them :

• To avoid the appearance of fleas, you can opt for antiparasitic pipettes: you will have to apply them once a month (this may vary depending on the product, so you have to read the packaging), lifting the fur so that the product contacts the skin.
• The use of specific flea collars for cats, with approximate effectiveness of 3 months.
• The application of antiparasitic shampoos that protect cats from fleas and other external parasites for 15 days.

How to Eliminate Fleas in Cats With Home Remedies

The best natural remedies to remove fleas from your cat and that you can easily do at home are the following:

• Mix essential oils with a repellent effect, such as citronella and lavender, with the flea shampoo to enhance the elimination of parasites. To avoid skin problems, this is not a valid option to remove fleas in small cats (under one-year-old), and a few drops should always be used, with 5 in total will suffice.
• Lemon juice or other citrus fruits mixed with a little water can be useful to repel some parasites.
• You can also eliminate fleas on cats with vinegar. It is another repellent for insects: by mixing shampoo and vinegar in similar proportions, you will obtain a natural product to bathe the feline.
• The extracts of chamomile infusions, applied to the pet's body with a cloth, are also useful in repelling fleas.
• You can also use petroleum jelly to apply to your cat's fur and skin while you brush. This product will cause fleas to stick and choke. Also, as they are stuck in the petroleum jelly, you can remove them much more efficiently with a fine comb.

These remedies can be useful when the problem is detected early, and there are few parasites. Visit your veterinary doctore or combine with it since it will reduce the volume of fleas and allow the medicine to act more quickly afterward.

Adapted and translated by The Cop Cart Staff

Sources: Uncomo