Flea Treatments for Itching Skin on Cats

Bathing

• Give your cat a bath to eliminate the fleas plaguing it and to soothe its itchy skin. Purchase a shampoo designed for cats that contains oatmeal to calm and relieve your cat's itchy skin. Shampoo your cat in a bath tub or kitchen sink filled with a few inches of warm water. Let the shampoo sit on your cat's skin and coat to fully kill the fleas. Rinse your cat thoroughly. For severe flea infestations, use a shampoo designed to kill fleas, though these shampoos contain insecticides that can further irritate your cat's skin. Bathing your cat with a regular shampoo will eliminate most of the fleas on your cat, and these shampoos contain no possibly toxic ingredients. Rinse all shampoo out of your cat's fur two or three times to eliminate all shampoo residue.

Grooming

• Brush your cat with a flea comb to immediately remove any fleas and flea eggs from its coat. After each swipe with a comb, dip the comb in a bowl filled with hot water mixed with dish washing soap to kill the fleas on the comb. Coat the brush with olive oil so that the fleas stick to the tines of the comb. For any mats you find on your cat, use a mat-breaker comb to eliminate them from your cat's coat. Mats provide a haven for fleas and can cause itchy skin. You may need to shave off serious mats with an electric clipper. Never use scissors to cut off mats because you can accidentally cut your cat's skin when doing this. Spray a leave-in conditioner designed for cats on your pet's coat and rub it into the cat's skin to help alleviate the dry, itchy skin caused by fleas.

Oral Flea Medication

• To kill adult fleas on your cat in as little as 30 minutes, use an oral tablet such as Capstar. This medication contains nitenpyram as the active ingredient and lasts for 24 hours in your cat's system. Place this tablet in your cat's mouth or hide the tablet in your cat's food so it ingests it. You need to obtain this medication from a veterinarian since it requires a prescription. This medication kills only adult fleas, not immature fleas, flea lavae or eggs. You can use it in conjunction with another prescription oral medication called Program, which contains lufenuron, a chemical which inhibits the growth of immature fleas. For cats with very itchy skin dermatitis from fleas, you can use these oral medications along with steroid creams your veterinarian may give your cat to calm its inflamed skin.

Topical Flea Medication

• Obtain a topical flea medication such as Revolution, Frontline or Advantage, from your veterinarian. Apply these oil-based liquids between your cat's shoulder blades and rub them into your cat's fur. These medications work by being absorbed into your cat's blood stream or being dispersed over the cat's body by its natural oils. Usually these medications begin working to eliminate fleas within 12 hours of the initial application. Some owners prefer these medications because they apply easily and quickly. Apply these medications monthly to kill existing fleas and other parasites and prevent re-infestation. Unlike some oral medications, these topical solutions kill both fleas and ticks.