Do fleas make cats act weird?

[sasquatch]

Both of my cats have really bad cases of fleas and they've been acting unusual lately. Is it the fleas that do that.

[BigMcLargehuge]

1. fleas can kill a cat

if they go unchecked. They make flea powder that you sprinkle on the little fellah and rub into his/her fur and bring armageddon to the little jumping bastards.

[Az]

2. Yes, they whisper conspiracy theories in their ears

Drives to poor lil things batty.

[sasquatch]

3. Flea:"They're going to replace with a brand new kitten"

Flea#2:"Yeah, because the poodles told them too."
:D

[ucmike]

4. my cat had a few fleas

and he started spending alot of time in the bathtub.

we use frontline, recomended by our vet. every couple months you put a few drops on the back of their necks. it kills the fleas they have and protects them against new fleas.

we tried the hartz brand of neck drops and it burned a hole in his fur and irritated his neck for a week. vet told us that frontline is the only brand she reccomends. i was suspicious that it was a sales pitch, but she told us other places to get it if we didn't want to buy it from her.

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. we use it too

it also helps with flea mites, which my kitty Zuki seems to be allergic to (she licks out her fur and gets nasty sores if I don't treat her every three months).

[Loonman]

5. You mean "weirder"

It's okay, I live with a cat. A good one. A good weird one.

[Lilyhoney]

7. I had a cat that suffered for a long time due to fleas.

Some cats have severe allergies to the flea bites that sets off a horrible cycle of biting and scratching. Which can lead to a secondary infection.

Or so my vet told me. I treated her for fleas with Advantage. Which is the only thing the vet recommended.

Thru my own research, I discovered that the problem was'nt the fleas. She had mange, which went undiagnosed for most of her life. My furry little friend lived many of her days in misery.

Please look up Demodetic Mange and Sarcoptic Mange.

I really hope your cats get well.

[rug]

14. Demodetic Mange?

Sounds like the title of Sean Hannity's last book.

[Shell Beau]

8. I'm pretty sure it is miserable as hell for them.

Get them dipped. They don't need to suffer!!

My dogs are on Frontline. But Advantage works well too! You just do it once a month. It keeps them happy.
:)

[Shine]

9. Yes, sometimes they have allergies to fleas, which makes it worse

Those damn fleas can get in some pretty interesting areas, too. Yuck.

We use a topical product called "Advantage" which we administer once a month, on the back of their neck. Seems to help... Check it out, if you haven't already!

Good luck...

[China_cat]

10. Advantage or Frontline

are your best bets. Wash bedding thoroughly and treat areas where they live.

Flea collars are a bad idea because of the new strengths. Making a lot of animals sick. Flea powders can make them sick when they ingest it. And the Hartz products can and do kill.

[MN ChimpH8R]

11. Advantage worked like a charm on my cat

and he is flea-free. It kills flea eggs, too.

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. Good to kill flea eggs!

I don't have pets right now, and recently went to visit a friend in another state. Her dog had fleas, the fleas got into my clothing and on my scalp. I accidentally brought home fleas and eggs. The population multiplied in my carpet, on my furniture and used me as a host. It was a fucking month-long nightmare! Had to have my house professionally sprayed. I also learned I'm very allergic to flea bites...mega hives, not to mention the horror of having fleas on my scalp! I had to do a pesticide hair treatment on myself three times!

Worst month of my life!

[SOteric]

13. I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'weird' -but yes.

A serious case of fleas can make a cat stick to high ground, counter tops and anything more than a foot and a half off the ground. They may avoid bedding they are usually fond of, spend time in the bathtub or curled up in a sink. Any time they spend on infested carpeting or bedding they'll be agitated and walk or trot as swiftly as possible through the onslaught.

They will overgroom, which gives them hairballs and tummy aches even if they're not prone to it; and it will disturb their sleep, which can make them drifty and crankier than typical.

[Jamastiene]

15. Absolutely. My cats hardly ever get them but when they do

they will actually jump around funny and act like they are going nuts. It ain't pretty. I usually have to get them still and pick off the one that's making their skin crawl that way, then treat the house and yard like crazy. I never treat the cats themselves as most chemicals will react badly and hurt cats. There is one dip that is safe for cats from a place in Florida called Nova Pet Products, but it has been a long time since I have groomed cats, dogs, ferrets, pigs, you name it and I have not seen their representatives (really cool libs, btw) in years. I miss Bobbi and Ted. I wonder what happened to them. They used to travel with like 5 dogs and 3 cats in their camper. They practically lived in that thing. Their products worked too, all natural and all safe.

[Az]

16. Um had to be said: Cat brains make cats act wierd.

:rofl:

[AirmensMom]

17. I would think so.

Fleas would make them terribly uncomfortable, even if they didn't make them sick.

Get some brewer's yeast tablets (Petsmart, etc.) and feed them to the kitties. That'll keep fleas away. Maybe some of those chemicals are safe, but I'd never use them on my pets. Call me weird. I had a very allergic dog once and had to find the natural alternatives. The brewer's yeast killed the fleas in 2 weeks and they never came back. You can also sprinkle Borax on your carpets and vacuum it up. Dispose of the bag.