Cat, fleas, and pregnancy

[Erlouise]

Hello ladies
I have some questions as I’m a first time mum… not done the whole pregnancy thing before so really not sure if the way I’m feeling is just because of the pregnancy.
im 36 weeks now. I have a little cat who I love so dearly. I treat him with Bravecto regularly but when he’s going outside fleas are still jumping onto him.
i spoke to the vets who advised that this is what happens with flea treatment, the fleas have to jump on the cat to feed to then die.
i was so worried about the possibility of the fleas getting into the house that I paid £150 for someone to come and treat the house - there were no fleas found and the pest control guy explained that it’s not good to keep treating the house regularly what with being pregnant and about to have a newborn.
I just can’t seem to reason with the fact that there are fleas on my cat and I have to wait for them to die … I know it sounds ridiculous but I really can’t get it out of my head that a flea could drop off him in the house and then start re producing.
i do know I am probably overthinking as my partner has said this as has all my family - I don’t really want to have to think about giving the cat up but to be honest i can’t even sleep or sit downstairs with the thought of what could happen if just one flea got lose in the house.
my mum thinks I need to wait and see how I feel when baby is here as I’ll be too preoccupied to care, but I can’t help but think that I’ll struggle more as I’ll be so worried about anything harming baby…
anyway just wanted to get some thoughts on how other people see the situation…

Can you maybe keep your cat indoors? It can't be comfortable getting bitten by fleas when it goes out. Fleas can't really hurt you and your baby, especially after they've been poisoned from biting your cat.

Are you actually seeing the fleas? I’m a vet I can’t remember the last time ( if ever) that I saw a flea on a cat treated regularly with bravecto.

@SayingwhatIreallythink tjank you for replying. Not all the time but sometimes - today for example he was scratching and a flea came off him onto the floor - it was half dead and I just picked it up and got rid. Other times I have to sit and comb him for a while with a flea comb to find one on him.
i did take the cat to the vets this morning to talk about the options, they had a look at the cat and said they couldn’t see anything so if there are fleas on him then not many. I treat him every 3 months and my vet always advised that 2-3 weeks before the 3 months is up I re-treat to make sure the treatment doesn’t start running too low so I always do this…
vet said I could try a monthly tablet but there’s an issue with fleas at the moment and an over population… just doesn’t fill me with confidence that the stuff I am using and spending
money in is actually working. People say treat the home but I’ve done this with a professional… so it’s not the home that’s the problem unfortunately… :(

Fleas aren’t going to harm your baby, so even if there were fleas there’s no danger. It sounds like you have some anxiety issues that are manifesting to focus on this issue. It would really do you good to speak to the maternity mental health team, they will help you with managing your anxiety and hopefully help you get to the real issues

I am currently pregnant and have a 12 year old cat (and two dogs) and I do mean this in the nicest possible way but I think your hormones are probably getting the better of you here. I only actually treat my cat every other month in autumn/winter and he's not had fleas. They really don't suffer with them in the winter so I would put your mind at rest for now. The only thing that's changed is you now know how the treatment works but its obviously working if you have no fleas in the house. Please don't keep the cat inside because of this, it's really not fair on the animal after being an outdoor cat, it will cause stress for it.

It's not the end of the world at all, I'm currently 13 weeks and my kitten has caught fleas too, I have found them in my house, you can buy sprays for the house, keep hoovering and combing the cat until you stop finding them and that's it. They won't harm you or baby like treating the house repeatedly will do. I already have a son and he's been fine. Apparently fleas have become a massive thing with the rise in temperatures we get in summer now. They will die off again as it gets colder. My kitten doesn't even go outside yet, but I looked after a friend's dog and can only assume she brought them in. Specialist told me we can bring them in ourselves on our clothes. You can buy a decent flea collar for the cat too, don't buy anything with permethrin in as it's toxic to cats (even tho they sell collars with just that 🤦🏼‍♀️ my kitten got quite sick). Seresta is a pricy but very good flea collar, lasts 8 months I think too x

Adult fleas live their whole life stage on the cat. They are not hitching a ride in to set up home in your house - that only happens if the adults on the cat lay eggs that develop in the environment. The adults only drop off because the Bravecto has killed them. To get a licence as a POMV the company have to prove that the product kills the adult fleas before they get to the stage of laying eggs, so preventing any infestation in your house. Bravecto is really effective at killing them within 24 hours. So you might see the odd adult but your house should remain clear.

This is anxiety.
Cats have fleas, which if treated are occasional.
No one else is combing their cat looking for fleas unless there's an actual flea issue in the house.
You're getting obsessive over something which just isn't an issue for your baby.
Do you need some mental health support?

Vet here, it sounds like your cat is going to a severely infested area somewhere outside and picking up fleas but because you are a good owner and treat with bravecto, those fleas die off pretty quick. You don't need to worry about them breeding in the house.

Be aware that once baby is born you will need to keep the cat away from baby until the area you applied the bravecto is no longer visible. Also, make sure you are wearing gloves to apply it yourself. If that's going to be hard to do you might want to ask your vet about a monthly flea/tick tablet instead (called Credelio, just as effective as Bravecto and they're tasty tablets, my cat will take them like treats or definitely won't notice them mixed with some food).

But as others have said, it also sounds like your anxiety is getting the better of you so I'd also suggest talking to your midwife regarding a perinatal mental health referral.

@hopefulmum46 thank you for replying - there’s a lot of other cats and foxes in the area so I can imagine you would be right.
my concern is if the cat and kick off a flea just by scratching then surely those fleas with reproduce?
I can’t do anymore that people have told me already… fumigate the house, apply more Bravecto who I can’t do for another 3 months, and hoover daily which I did anyway.

I do know that I have ocd where I obsess over things like this. My midwives are aware and I already spoke to them but to be honest, you’re either ok with something like fleas or you’re not , and I’m not …

@Erlouise The cat's probably only able to kick the flea off because it's already half dead so if won't be able to reproduce. You would normally only see healthy fleas on cats if they were really heavily infested, which your cat definitely isn't, so the fleas you're seeing are ones that are dying because of the bravecto.

I'm glad you're getting help. I know that fleas and other parasites are not pleasant, but try not to get too stressed about them, you're doing all you can and you can't control the local wildlife.

Hope all goes well with the new arrival

@hopefulmum46 thank you so much. I know I do sound a bit mad but the pest control guy won’t treat with a newborn present so it just means we’d have to uproot and move into my parents for a few days. Just not something I really need with a new born while I’m trying to establish everything else. That’s mostly where the stress comes from as I just really don’t want an infested house with a newborn… had cats and dogs all my life and never so much as thought about a flea until now!

@hopefulmum46 also you sound like a really great vet. Doesn’t really help that my vet told me that a flea can lay eggs before they bite the cat and he can then shake them off in the house causing an infestation!