Don’t Bug Kitty: Fleas, Ticks, and Heartworms in Cats

Last Updated on July 27, 2023 by Holly Anne Dustin

It’s summer and warm in the northeast. Which means the bugs are back to bug you and your Kitty. It is important to protect Kitty from the diseases spread by cat parasites like fleas and ticks.

The warm weather also means mosquitos. We don’t hear about it as much in the cat world, but mosquitoes transmit heartworms. And cats, even indoor cats, can get heartworm. There is no safe treatment for heartworm in cats.

Keeping your furbaby safe from cat parasites like fleas and ticks, and from heartworm-carrying mosquitos is an important part of guarding his health.

Signs of Fleas on Cats

Fleas can drive your poor kitty crazy. If your laid back furbaby is irritable and aggressive, check him for fleas. Even indoor cats can get fleas. They are present in nature. We can bring them in on our shoes or clothing.

If you see sores or scabs on your pet’s skin, it could be because of fleas. Itching around his ears or excessive grooming at the base of tail typically means fleas.

If you pet Kitty’s fur backward and see what looks like pepper, you have fleas. To be sure, wet some of that “pepper”. It’s fleas if it turns red when wet.

Fleas like to hang out on a cat’s face, around the eyes and ears, and in the groin area where Kitty’s fur is thinner.

This post may contain affiliate links. Life and Cats is a Chewy affiliate and a member of the Amazon Associates program and as such we earn a small commission when you shop through our our links and banners. It doesn’t change the amount you pay. You can read our full disclosure policy here.

Diseases Caused by Fleas:

A severe flea infestation can cause blood loss and result in anemia. It can be fatal, especially in kittens.

Cats can also contact tapeworms from ingesting fleas while grooming.

A cat can get infected with Bartonella from flea bites.

Some cats have an allergy to fleas. A cat with flea bite dermatitis doesn’t need an infestation, just one bite can cause intense itching that can last for days. Some veterinarians say flea allergic dermatitis is the most common skin condition in cats.

My Lucky had flea allergies, and it was terrible. He had a compulsive over-grooming habit, most likely caused by the flea bite dermatitis. Just one bite and he’d start pulling all his fur off. The best thing about flea bite dermatitis is that it has a straightforward soution: Keep Kitty on a good flea preventative year round.

Getting Rid of Fleas on Cats

A good preventative is the best way to get rid of fleas on cats. The best advice is to see what your vet recommends because what works well in one area of the country doesn’t seem to work in another. There are many varieties of fleas that could be active in your area.

Whatever you choose, don’t buy the mass market brands like Hartz or Sentry that you can get for cheap at a big box retailer. You need something pharmacy grade like Frontline or Advantage that are now available over the counter, or a veterinary product like Revolution, Bravecto, or Comfortis. Everything has potential side effects, so it is important to ask your vet what they recommend. Read the package carefully. Do not use anything intended for dogs on cats. It is unfortunately a common user error leading to poisoning and death.

A bath is the first step in the battle of getting rid of fleas on cats. (Yes, it is possible to bathe a cat without trauma to you or the cat.) Bathing alone will not get rid of fleas on cats, they will keep getting fleas until you get rid of the fleas in the environment.

• Use a good cat shampoo. Start by putting a ring of shampoo around the cat’s neck so all the fleas don’t run to his face. Lather him up and let the shampoo stay on him for a bit while you get the fleas off his face.
• Use a wet flea comb and comb through the fur on his face. Drown the fleas you comb out. Once you have taken care of the fleas on your cat’s face, rinse him off and dry him.
• Wait 24-48 hours and then apply a preventative according to the product instructions.

Flea Treatments for Cats

Effective flea control products include a product that kills adult fleas before they can reproduce and an insect growth regulator (IGR) that sterilizes the eggs and prevents larvae from growing up.

Topical, or spot-on, treatments are the liquid treatments applied to the back of Kitty’s neck are the easiest way to treat a cat since it doesn’t involve pilling your furbaby.

Oral treatments are available. Oral treatments might be a better option than topicals if you have small children in the house. Keep in mind though, if you use an oral treatment the fleas have to bite the cat to get the poison and die. Oral treatments are not the best option if your furbaby has flea bite allergies.

Most collars aren’t that effective. They keep fleas from getting from head to tail or tail to face, but unless the flea crosses the collar, they won’t be affected.

How to Get Fleas Out of Your House

Fleas live an average of 2-3 months. They can lay up to 40 or 50 eggs each day. It is easy to understand how fast the house can become infested with fleas. We can find fleas in the carpet, bedding, in between floor boards, under radiators, etc.

It can take up to 3 to 4 months (or longer) to eliminate a flea infestation from the home.

You need to vacuum daily and empty the vacuum outside.  Adding a flea collar to the vacuum will help by killing any fleas and larvae that are swept into the vacuum. Steam cleaning the carpet is even more effective than vacuuming alone.

Wash all bedding and soft toys frequently. Dry anything you can on the highest heat possible.

Natural Remedies to Get Rid of Fleas on Cats

Flea traps can help eliminate adult fleas in the house. You can make your own with a desk lamp and a bowl of water, or purchase commercial glue style traps.

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade only) can be very helpful treating fleas in carpets and crevices of couches and under mattresses. It isn’t harmful as long as you don’t have breathing problems. You can even rub it into your cat’s coat. I never used it on my cats coats, but I credit it with breaking a terrible flea outbreak I had in my house a few years ago.

Salt and boric acid are two other natural remedies that work to kill fleas.  Lavender, chamomile, and rosemary are supposed to be effective against fleas but I haven’t tried them. Have you?

Adding brewer’s yeast to your cat’s diet may make him less attractive to fleas. Make sure the product you purchase doesn’t include garlic. I know some people who swear this is all they’ve ever needed to prevent a flea problem in their cats.

Even though I tend toward natural health remedies, I go first for the chemical treatments that work fast and effectively when dealing with fleas. Infestations can get out of control fast. I’d rather prevent a flea problem than deal with an infestation ever again.

Ticks and Cats

Ticks are cat parasites that most likely to attach to the area around the face, head, ears, and neck. Most known for causing Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ticks carry many diseases that can hurt your cat, and you.

Stiff or swollen joints, lethargy, poor appetite, and fever are symptoms of a lot of conditions in cats. But they can be signs that your furbaby has been bitten by a tick.

Like flea bites, a heavy infestation of tick bites can cause anemia and bacterial infections. Ticks latching onto your cat in certain cases can cause paralysis.

It isn’t clear whether cats get Lyme disease. But there are other tick-bourne diseases that affect cats. One of the most serious of these diseases is cytauxzoonosis, a disease that is often fatal.

Another tick-borne disease, Anaplasmosis, depletes platelets in the body, which can cause bruising on the skin.  If a cat contracts “Q Fever” from a tick bite, he may show the symptoms of high fever, loss of appetite, depression, and seizures.

Ticks can also carry Ehrlichiosis. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, swollen glands, lethargy, swollen joints, eye infections, and lack of appetite.

Some flea preventative products also repel and/or kill ticks. We used Revolution Plus for leash-trained cats. If your kitty goes outside, even on a leash or in an enclosure, be sure to check him over for ticks when you bring him back inside.

Heartworm in Cats

We used to think cats didn’t get infected with heartworms. Diagnosing cats with heartworms can be difficult. Cats don’t have a large load of heartworms like dogs. Signs of heartworms in cats range from no symptoms at all to sudden collapse or death.  A heartworm infestation in cats presents as a respiratory syndrome. Cat heartworm infection can be confused with asthma.

There is no treatment for cat heartworms. The medication used for dogs is not safe for cats.  Treating the symptoms of inflammation and infection and hoping for a recovery is the only thing we can do.

Obviously, we want to protect our babies from heartworms.  Keeping them away from mosquitoes is the best defense. Keeping Kitty inside isn’t a guarantee she won’t come in contact with mosquitoes carrying heartworm, but it helps. Screen in your catio or enclosure. If you take your Kitty adventuring, stay away from stagnant water and other mosquito-friendly places. Stay in at dawn and dusk.

Do not use traditional bug spray on cats. Wondercide and Vet’s Best both make a pet pest repellent based in essential oils.  I’m not a fan of essential oils around cats, but I have a Wondercide spray in my cat backpack. I’d rather risk temporary exposure to essential oils on their harness than heartworm. I wipe the cats off when we come inside when we use the Wondercide to prevent them from ingesting it.

Revolution and Heartguard are two medications that prevent cat heartworm infestation.

Cat Parasites:

Parasites like fleas, ticks, and heartworms are seasonal pests in my area, but year-round annoyances in others. All three cat parasites can cause health problems for our kitties. Luckily, preventative medications like spot-ons and chewables will keep the bugs away. Consult with your veterinarian to find the best parasite preventative for your furbaby.