How to Kill Fleas on a Kitty

If your cat or kitten is constantly scratching around its collar or other areas of its body, you may be facing a flea infestation. Not only can fleas make your cat's life miserable, fleas can also infect your home, spreading flea infestations to other pets or waiting to reinfect your animal. If your kitty has fleas, treat the problem as soon as possible.

Things You'll Need

  • Flea comb
  • White paper
  • Spray bottle
  • Oral or topical flea medication
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Instructions

    • 1

      Ensure that your cat actually has fleas by looking for flea dirt. Place your cat on a large white piece of paper. Brush your cat with a flea comb and look closely at the paper for small black spots. Spray the paper with a light spray from a spray bottle. If the water takes on a slight pink or brown tint near the black spots, this is flea dirt, or blood that has been sucked by the flea from your animal mixed with flea feces.

    • 2

      Remove as many fleas as you physically can from your cat to give the later flea treatment a better chance of working. Take a flea comb and dip the ends of it into petroleum jelly until there is a light coating on the teeth. Brush your cat being sure to get right up against the skin, but not so hard that you scratch its skin. Be sure to brush every surface of the cat to get as many fleas, eggs and larvae out as possible. The petroleum jelly helps the fleas stick to the comb. Rinse the comb as it gets full of hair and put a new coat of petroleum jelly on it.

    • 3

      Treat your cat with the appropriate flea treatment to kill the infestation. Choose either a topical treatment or an oral medication for your animal. Talk to your veterinarian if you are unsure which product is best for your kitty.

    • 4

      Rid your house of fleas and flea eggs to prevent your cat from getting infested again. Use one of several insecticide products on the market to treat or bomb your home. For a more natural treatment without poisons, consider a product with boric acid instead of poison. Wash all linens or pet beds your cat spends time on with hot water and dry on a high heat. If the fabric cannot be washed, wrap the fabric in plastic bags, seal the bags and place the bags in your freezer for at least 48 hours. Vacuum your floors to remove any fleas that may be in the carpet fibers.

    • 5

      Check regularly for fleas every few weeks. Use the same method listed above for checking for flea dirt.