Ellie, a 9-month-old, short-haired black cat enjoys chasing her own shadow, jumping high in the air while attempting to do tricks and sitting on Mom’s lap. Unfortunately, Ellie was the victim of flea infestation earlier this year.
Anne Marie Payne explained that the fleas were difficult to spot because her cat is black and so are the fleas. The first time she noticed them, she thought it was just dirt that Ellie had tracked in.
“One day she was scratching her head, so I decided to look there and I saw one run across her scalp,” Payne said. At the time, Ellie was only 3 months old.
Payne flea-bombed the house to kill the fleas, and also treated Ellie with a topical ointment to eliminate any remaining fleas.
Student pet owners are generally more at risk for encountering fleas. Due to the close living quarters of most student housing complexes, pet owners may find their pets attracting fleas frequently, as it is easy for a pet to pick up fleas from another pet.
Payne explained that Ellie got fleas shortly after a friend’s cat stayed at her house for a week. Apparently the cat wasn’t clean, and Payne believes that is how Ellie got fleas.
According to Leah Nansel, a veterinary assistant at Busch Animal Clinic, the most affordable way to rid your home and pet of fleas and ticks is to take preventative measures. Keeping floors, bedding, and furniture clean through routine vacuuming is the easiest way to ward off these pests.
“Every season in Eugene is flea season. Usually places with a colder season will knock out fleas completely. Here it doesn’t get cold enough to freeze out all the adult fleas,” Nansel said.
Areas with colder climates have a more defined flea season than in Eugene. However, flea infestation does increase as the temperatures rise. Nansel said that fleas are more common as the weather gets warmer.
Taking precautionary steps to avoid flea infestation is important, but Nansel explained that fleas can also get into a home by jumping onto your clothes or shoes. Clearing your yard of debris may help keep fleas away from your house.
Nansel said, when a pet is attacked with fleas, most pet owners turn to topical medications such as Frontline or Advantage. These medications are absorbed into the pet’s hair follicles, so when a flea jumps onto the pet, it is either sterilized or killed — depending on which medication is being used.
If an inspector notices fleas in one of the rentals during turn-over season, it usually is not very difficult to fix. Their standard protocol usually involves flea bombing the unit and shampooing the carpets. Most of their units do not allow pets, so this doesn’t happen frequently, Christina Shank of Property Management Concepts said.
As summer is approaching, the best way to prevent your cat or dog from attracting fleas is to keep your house or apartment clean. If your pet does get fleas, topical or oral medication can be purchased at a number of local veterinary offices.