Sticktight Fleas on cat's ears and face

Animals
1

Hi all,


I think last time I posted, I had just gotten a little kitten. George is now over a year old and thriving as an indoor/outdoor cat. We also adopted another cat who befriended George, and their owner asked us to take him in when they moved away. Awak and George are truly besties. It's great having them both. Awak is 3 and has just been chipped and had first set of vaccinations - nightmare visit to vet, and of course another top up due in a month.


My burning Q of the day is - What are these sticktight fleas called in French? And how do I best treat them? Our adopted cat came on a walk with me yesterday and decided to visit the neighbours fowl enclosure (ducks, geese, hens etc etc) Last night I noticed all these black dots on his ears and saw a couple crawling on his face.


I have discovered they are probably chicken fleas, and have managed to kill a few but he doesn't like to be handled so it's difficult.


He is treated for the cat fleas, ticks, worms etc, so my question is - how do I treat these invaders? Is it a vet visit (not a good choice for poor kittie) or can I buy something from them to treat these fleas, or will his normal treatment (spot on) work?


Thanks so much. Hope you all had a great hot summer and not too many ticks and fleas!

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Gorgeous Elaine, the kink may be genetic, Chats du Quercy took part in research a cuple of years ago as we find many cats like this and apparently this kinky tail gene runs through southern europeen cats.

Awak has a superior air to him, just like my ginger and white, Indi!

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Thanks for asking :-)

This is George - just over a year - he has a cute kink in his tail right at the base (I think he was stepped on as a tiny kitten):

This is our adopted cat Awak, 3, regal and gentle:

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Thanks Celia,

had a look - nothing specific. Site very USA orientated - must find some english speaking french forums or sites to prowl too :-)

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Thanks Veronique,

both cats due treatment, so I got a flea/tick only tablet for both - vert claims it will zap them all!

I picked 9 off his ears, face and under his chin. some were dead so may have succumbed to the existing treatment which is now overdue.

So hopefully, we will avoid an infestation - esp to our own hens!!!

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This site might have some answers for you : http://www.thecatsite.com/

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I use stronghold which seems to work on everything (internal & external passengers), one of my cats is a serious hunter and spends her life dealing death to rodents in the vines & the wood - she is palish ginger all over so parasites show up quite well, she used to get particularly clingy vicious fleas all around the edge of her ears & was always seething with worms but not any more.

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No problem, I've seen these horrid things on one of our cats, the are weird.

You can get really paranoid thinking of all the creepy crawlies around - best not to!

Best of luck, your 2 sound goergeous, any photos?

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Lynn,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I normally buy my flea/worm treatment from the same vet so I'll ask him, his assistant speaks English which is great.

I suspect the normal treatment may not cover this species (I've read there are over 2000 different types of fleas - yeuck).

Ring first, as a visit is very distressing for the cat and we have to return in 2 weeks anyway for his vaccination.

Thanks again Lynn, and I really admire the good work you do. I struggle with just 2 cats! :-)

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It would be best to ask the advice of your vet Elaine. Not all flea treaments treat the same species. It may not need a visit with the cat but if you explain all that you have here, to the vet, he'll tell you what is the best to treat these sticky bugs. You say he is treated but maybe it wasn't with one that will get rid of this specific problem and your vet will recommend soemthing else. Flea and worm treatments can be fatal if overdosed, so consult your vet and tell him what you've used so far.

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We call them stuck fast fleas in Australia and yes poultry are often riddled with them but also any birds other cats sometimes dogs. They attach themselves mainly to cats ears. Petroleum jelly Vaseline smeared on the cats ears will suffocate them and my vet recommended it to me. It’s how I treat my giant cat. After a couple of days just scratch them off .

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