I know, my log-in is 'ecogirl' and generally my lifestyle is pretty green and Eco friendly. However, I have a cat. A cat who loves to wander the mountains for days on end, without a care in the world, or any concerns about the vast number of insect pests he's likely to meet. Unless his cat flea treatment is up-to-date we run the serious risk of him bringing home hundreds of cat fleas whenever he deigns to return for dinner. And, don't even get me started on the ticks - yuk!

All that scratching drives me as nuts as the cat!

I have always used one brand of cat flea and tick protection but I have to be honest, it doesn't look very Eco friendly, so I've been looking for a safe cat flea treatment. So far, I am still looking for my ideal cat and earth friendly product.

But during my research I uncovered so many more reasons to use an effective cat flea medicine I thought I would share...

Fleas making your cat scratch are the least of your worries...

I thought cat fleas were more of a nuisance than anything.  Making my cat scratch, and me too if I'm unlucky enough to get bitten as well.  But cat fleas bring more serious troubles too.  Depending on where in the world you are, these cat flea problems can become very numerous and very serious.  But, even in the far from tropical United Kingdom and mainland United States there are several cat flea problems you really need to avoid:

Skin Infections

Skin infections are all to common in cats (or dogs) with fleas.  The problem is more of the cat's own making than the fleas to be honest.  As your cat becomes itchy he may scratch so much he breaks the skin.  Then it is simple for bacterial to get in and cause a skin infection.  Usually these skin problems are very minor, many will heal up on their own.  But, if your cat continues scratching he may spread the infection further and continue to reopen the wound as it tries to heal. 

I am lucky, my cat is not the sort to waste an awful lot of time grooming himself, but one of our dogs would continually gnaw and scratch any flea bites until the area was raw.  Patches of fur would be pulled out too, all in all making him look a very sorry state.  For a big dog it caused concern and repeated vet-trips and antibiotics.  For a cat, the problem of skin infections, excessive licking and possibly even causing ulcerated skin is far more serious.  They are small so each area of infection can have a much bigger impact on their bodies.

Our cat is young and fit, so I doubt I would panic too much if he experienced a skin infection.  But for a cat which is not at full strength due to age or illness skin infections can quickly spread throughout the system even causing blood poisoning.

Flea Bite Dermatitis

This is just an allergic reaction to fleas. Often it begins as an allergy to the secretions made as a flea bites your furry friend.  The result is increased scratching, grooming and subsequently a much higher risk of skin infections.

A cat may not suffer any allergy to fleas for years but then develop an acute sensitivity to them.  The larger the flea infestation the bigger the risk.

Such dermatitis often progresses to become an allergy not just to flea bites, but to flea 'dirt' (poo) too.  Then, any cat flea treatment needs to be bolstered by rigorous grooming or bathing (if your cat, unlike mine, is the type to allow such activities!) to remove all trace of flea dirt too.

Flea Anaemia

Anaemia is basically a reduction in the number of red blood cells.  It causes general lethargy and weakness and if left untreated can prove fatal.  I really thought this would not be a serious flea induced problem.

However, if a cat is not at full health and/or becomes over-ridden with fleas it just cannot keep up with making more red blood cells as the fleas feed from it.  Mild flea anaemia is actually relatively common.  Any signs of illness alongside fleas should be checked for anaemia.  It seems amazing that tiny fleas could really have an effect upon your cats blood supply but the thing is your cat doesn't hold that much blood to begin with.

Tapeworm

I always thought these parasites were passed from cat to cat through contact, sharing food or investigating each other's stools.  However, the flea also plays host to tapeworms so if your cat swallows a flea, which she is likely to do repeatedly when grooming, the tapeworm can enter your cat's gut.

Again, for healthy cats tapeworms are not usually serious, but severe cases, or for cats not at full fitness they may be a serious threat to health.  The tapeworms take much of the nutrients which the cat eats, so generally cats get hungrier and thinner.  If the tapeworms continue to grow you may actually see your cats abdomen become larger as she continues to be hungry.

Serious cases of tapeworm can threaten long-term health and development of young cats, and very rarely can be passed on to young children.

Well, with all the secondary cat flea problems in mind, plus the scary magnified picture of a cat flea, I am sure I should use an effective cat flea treatment regularly.  I know I am not just avoiding an itchy & scratchy cat by keeping up with his cat flea protection.  So far, I'm still undecided on which cats flea treatment to choose, so have not switched brands yet.