Please Help- Long Haired Cat

[Illy603]

Just wondering if anyone can help.

I have two housecats. They don’t go outside, but a couple of weeks ago, one of them managed to bolt past and out the patio doors when I was unloading shopping. He was gone about an hour and then came wandering back in as I left the door open and put out food/treats. Since then, I’ve noticed him grooming a hell of a lot more and realised this morning he has fleas!!! I’ve just treated both cats, popped them in a nice fresh bed and flea bombed the Livingroom (it’s the only carpeted room in the house)

I’ve just noticed as he’s been grooming himself that it looks like on his belly he’s been pulling his hair out. He coughs up fur balls often and I’ve adapted his diet to include food that helps with this but I’m absolutely heartbroken thinking he’s causing himself pain 😔 Does anyone have any experience/advice?!

he might just be grooming more often as he was itchy.
Will he let you brush him?

I flea comb my long haired cat every day. It's our bonding time, and he has been flea treated at the vets, they're just very resilient. I always find at least one and I comb him for a good hour every day (yes I'm mad cat lady)

Hey are you treating them with? I don't have a cat my the bloody dog fleas are resistant to a lot of treatments.

I treat for fleas and worms according to vet recommendations. Going outside briefly shouldn’t lead to fleas especially if they’ve been given preventative treatment.

Do you groom your long hair? Because they need it every day. Get appropriate brushes and combs to avoid fur balls.

you should still treat indoor cats for fleas as people can bring them into the house. What have you treated the cats and house with as a lot of treatments are not effective e.g. Bob Martin, frontline, etc. The only OTC one that would work is Advantage, otherwise you need a vet treatment. Indorex is good for the house

Thank you so much for your replies!

Yes, we brush him as often as we can... despite the attempted biting 😅 Theres absolutely no sores that I can see and he doesn’t seem to mind me softly touching the area. Just breaks my heart thinking he’s being a bit too rough grooming himself. And the guilt knowing he’s somehow got fleas 😭 Hopefully the treatment today will kick in and we will notice a difference in the way he’s grooming himself.

My short haired cat is as happy as can be, fleas and all 😒

We have had this with our late Maine coon. She lost hair on one side (so we thought) well vet told she over-groomed due to fleas . She got treated and the haircare back.

Please tell me you do not use Frontline. If you do ask your vet for something else and ask how soon you can do it on top of Frontline.

Haircare?? Hair came

^ Oops! Wrong thread! Will ask for it to be deleted

@NervousInYorkshire think you might be on the wrong thread

I hope you don’t mind me repeating, but after this you should treat for fleas every month regardless of if he is inside

@giantangryrooster

We have had this with our late Maine coon. She lost hair on one side (so we thought) well vet told she over-groomed due to fleas . She got treated and the haircare back.

Please tell me you do not use Frontline. If you do ask your vet for something else and ask how soon you can do it on top of Frontline.

No, it’s a flea treatment from the vets themselves. The powder we got for the house is just from Pets at Home though.

I’ve heard some horror stories with OTC treatments (I think it was the Bob Martin one) so have always steered clear.

I’m glad to hear your baby is doing better. I think you’re absolutely spot on that he’s over grooming due to the fleas. Just wish we had caught it sooner.

My long haired cat who went out all the time would pull out his belly hair whenver he got fleas and then forget to stop doing it when the fleas had gone. I had to put a donut collar on him until he packed it in.

@dementedpixie

you should still treat indoor cats for fleas as people can bring them into the house. What have you treated the cats and house with as a lot of treatments are not effective e.g. Bob Martin, frontline, etc. The only OTC one that would work is Advantage, otherwise you need a vet treatment. Indorex is good for the house

Been arguing with my partner about this!! He said humans absolutely cannot bring fleas into the house and I was adamant they could!!!

They could be on clothing rather than on your skin

But I agree with the others, frontline is useless you need a strong prescription flea killer you can get three month ones I forget the name and also fleas can get into your home and onto your cats through any open door or window so they must be treated even if they are indoor cats.
If you have never done so they will be crawling with the buggers by now.

My son has two indoor cats in a 4th floor flat and they regularly get fleas.

Bravecto has been working great here, it's for ticks as well (and actually working) and lasts for three or four months.

Btw flea eggs can survive for years and years .

the only thing that I have found that works for the house is Indorex spray. It is expensive but worth it.
It kills eggs and larvae too, so once sprayed, lasts for months.

You just mentioned carpets, but you need to think about sofas, beds (theirs and yours) , spray round their beds in the cracks on the floor, etc.

@steppemum

the only thing that I have found that works for the house is Indorex spray. It is expensive but worth it. It kills eggs and larvae too, so once sprayed, lasts for months.

You just mentioned carpets, but you need to think about sofas, beds (theirs and yours) , spray round their beds in the cracks on the floor, etc.

I’ve got the bedding on a boil wash and plan to spray the hell out of it after. Mattresses and sofas have been sprayed. Their cat beds have been sprayed too. Keeping cats in one room for now with blankets that were just washed and will either wash again or chuck after.

Can you get Indorex from Pets at Home?! I’ll pop in tomorrow morning. Thanks so much for all the advice!

Not sure about pets at home, but another poster recently bought it on Amazon for about half the usual price of vets/pet shops