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In a previous blog, we discussed internal parasites. Well what about those parasites that you can see?
With all this snow, who would think spring is just around the corner? Soon those external parasites will be bothering our poor cats.
If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, it seems to be natural that you should be using some type of preventative. Fortunately, prevention is much easier to obtain than it was when I started in practice 30 years ago. A simple application between the shoulder blades and your cat is set for one month.
At our clinic we recommend Revolution. The reason for this recommendation is that in addition to topical parasites Revolution also eliminates internal parasites.
Unfortunately, fleas can spread diseases to humans. About 80% of fleas carry disease that are contagious to humans. A person only needs to touch flea dirt on open skin to become infected. The best way to stop this is to not allow any fleas to be on your cat.
Be careful when investigating over the counter parasite preventatives. They may look similar to prescription products, but they are not. Some of them even have ingredients that can be toxic to cats. Additionally, they do not eliminate internal parasites. Revolution only costs about $12/month or $0.39/day and can protect against fleas, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, and ear mites.
Revolution also works on the stages of the flea life cycle that you can’t see and that might be living in and around your home (eggs and larvae). So for you, this means that you do not need to poison your environment with chemicals to eliminate the infestation.
So you are thinking, I have an indoor cat. Does my cat need this protection? If you have other pets (dogs) that go outside, your cat is at risk for fleas. If you let your cat spend time on a balcony, or occasionally open your windows, your cat is at risk for fleas.
Then there are the external parasites that you cannot see such as Mites. Veterinary dermatologists always recommend topical treatment when any cat has hair loss. For some cats, all it takes is one mite or flea to trigger an itchy allergic reaction which can make them overgroom to the point of marked hair loss.
Mites can be very tricky, but fortunately Revolution does an excellent job of eliminating them.
Here is a video of a cat with ear mites.
As you can see they make themselves right at home in your cat’s skin.
Remember that even indoor cats need protection from external and internal parasites.
Please feel free to ask us for more information.