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Post by octave1 on Dec 4, 2015 20:27:14 GMT -5
My neighbor owns a really nice 8 month old cat, but she (the neighbor) is suffering from allergies now and thinks that the cat (who never was a house cat and was never kept indoors) may be causing some. I LOVE that cat, and she loves me back. She spends a lot of time in my yard and the garage when I am working outside. We are best friends. I feed her a little bit everyday and I can tell that she would really like to move in with us. The owner would also like that arrangement, because she spends most of her day at work, and when she is home she can't really interact with the cat much.
The major obstacle for me is that the cat has fleas.
I do not know how to deal with fleas, and I don't want any in my house.
I don't know what kind of treatment is available, the costs, the implications (is the cat going to become a walking pesticide?), the effectiveness, the duration (how often if the cat is permanently a house cat? And what happens if the cat goes out?).
What should I do?
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Post by lisaann on Dec 4, 2015 20:44:20 GMT -5
Take the cat to a vet. See, that wasn't hard. My MOM has a $1000 cat, and that's what yours will be.............but you love it, MOM loves hers. You do what you must. Don't let people talk you into dumb quick fixes. You'll hate yourself in the end. You love that cat.............. And we NEED a picture! Adopt that cat the right way, and get it fixed if you don't want a litter, and all the beauty of babies. You'll get it done, and that will be your Xmas present to yourself and your family! Do it right now, and there will be NO problems later! Later problems cost more than the beginning problems. What are your thoughts? I do not know how to deal with fleas
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Post by octave1 on Dec 4, 2015 21:12:10 GMT -5
lisaann The cat is fixed, vaccinated and dewormed, but since she is an outside cat she has fleas. I would like to keep her inside at least for the Winter, but I know she'll want to play in the yard as soon as the weather gets nicer. She is a great hunter and a lot of fun. Super friendly and super interactive, but honestly I would NEVER spend $1,000 on a cat, any cat.
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Post by lisaann on Dec 4, 2015 21:16:58 GMT -5
I'd still take her to the vet.
That will keep you from worrying all the time about the flees, and you and your kitty friend will be able to ENJOY each other's company,
What's the kitties NAME?
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 4, 2015 22:13:23 GMT -5
As you know I love cats and have 3 of them. They are all house cats.
Neutering and original vaccinations are the main expense. Having a female spayed costs several hundred dollars.
I am totally organic in my gardening but I am not opposed to flea treatments for pets. I do not want parasites in my house.
House cats will not have fleas unless they go outside and then they are sure to get them.
Fleas also carry eggs for tapeworms so the cat will have to be wormed again after you get rid of the fleas but that treatment is a few pills or a liquid that you can mix with food.
I have used a product called Frontline to get rid of fleas and it really works. Yes, it is a chemical pesticide and I hate using it but it does work and kills the fleas. It is a thick liquid that you apply to the back of the cat's neck once a month and it penetrates and kills the fleas. My cats are house cats so they do not need to be treated but our 3rd cat was a stray that we adopted and she had fleas, tapeworms and roundworms and had to be treated for all three things.
If a cat continues to go outside then it will need to be routinely treated for fleas.
Now all 3 of our cats are flea and worm free and should not need to be re-treated. They see the vet about once a year and the visit is about $50 each.
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Post by desertwoman on Dec 5, 2015 1:03:03 GMT -5
I am a cat person too. Have always had 1 or 2 cats living with us, they have a cat door and are free to go out as they desire.
None of my cats have ever had fleas. Ever. They eat homemade food, and I sprinkle nutritional yeast on their food (it repels fleas). And they hunt. They've all lived to at least 12 years old and rarely have any of them seen a vet.
If making her food is more than you want to do, then at least sprinkle the nutritional yeast on a good quality canned food. I am a strong believer in the nutritional yeast as a flea repellant, as I have seen it work again and again.
A friend recently used this method to rid his adopted stray cat of fleas: use a flea comb (or a fine tooth comb). You can first bathe the cat (yes, they usually dislike baths, but there are ways to successfully bathe them...) with some castile soap (diluted with water 50/50) then comb. There's also natural flea killers on the market - probably available at pet stores like Petco, etc. We actually have a "natural" pet store in Santa Fe with an array of natural products, remedies, etc for a wide range of concerns.
Our Miss Grace is going on 17 years old. We've had her since she was 6 weeks. She is amazingly vital, still, (though she is showing signs of aging) and quite honestly, she has only been to a vet 3 times in nearly 17 years.
I would suggest you do an online search for natural flea treatment and/or get a book on natural cat care. Anita Frazier is well respected and has written Natural Cat and then follow it with The New Natural Cat and has had guidance and mentoring from Richard Pitcairn (veterinarian). I don't agree with her approach 100% but she has a wealth of knowledge and I like having her book as a resource.
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Post by Latitude33 on Dec 5, 2015 1:49:04 GMT -5
I will parrot what DW said. With two cats and a chocolate lab I am familiar with flea issues. IMHO, nutritional yeast and the flea comb in conjunction with castile soap are essential.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Dec 5, 2015 8:04:44 GMT -5
Having been a kennel manager assistant I had bathed many a cat and dogs with fleas. One thing is they will drown in water. Not that that is the only thing you need because then they will scurry to the head where they are out of the water. The recommendation above is fine. But if you decide to do this yourself protect yourself from scratches the best you can.
hahaha I just saw I wrote 'they will drown" could be the cats but also the fleas!!
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 5, 2015 9:03:27 GMT -5
If you have a cat that is going outside and hunting, I would strongly recommend having it vaccinated against rabies which I think requires a booster shot every 3 years. Additionally cats that eat mice will get roundworms and should be wormed routinely.
And if you are going the natural route, I have read may times that essential oils can build up in cats and become toxic so it is recommended by many authorities NOT to use essential oils on cats. Please research this if anyone is considering this as a flea treatment.
I used to have outside cats when I lived in a rented farmhouse and I loved seeing them outdoors. They came indoors to visit but slept in the barn at night. My next house was in a development and I also allowed my cat to go outdoors. One day a neighbor complained to me that my cat had pooped in her yard. I apologized but I have also heard other people saying that they "hate cats" and one day my beloved kitty disappeared and I never saw her again. It was heartbreaking to imagine her being hurt by someone and I vowed to never have an indoor/outdoor cat again.
I also live near a busy road and have seen lots of dead animals, including cats and I could not stand to see that happen to my pets.
We do currently have an outdoor cat who is a feral cat who decided to live in the shed where we store our lawnmowers. I like that he keeps the moles/voles and rabbits under control and we feed him but he gets no care other than that. We can't get closer than 10 feet. He is not exactly a pet but I like him.
Bottom line for me is that I like both indoor and outdoor cats but I keep them separate. I never want a combination indoor/outdoor cat again. My indoor cats don't get fleas or other parasites and my outdoor pal just lives with them.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Dec 5, 2015 10:55:25 GMT -5
I think there are 4 options in this situation:
1. Kitty stays with her current owner, who continues to suffer from allergies unless she finds an appropriate natural or medical remedy to address allergies, which in my experience can be aggravated by certain processed foods, and perhaps other conditions I haven't yet discovered.
2. Kitty stays with her current owner, who gets a HEPA air filter, which may help with the allergens.
3. Kitty lives outdoors, which isn't a good solution.
4. Kitty becomes Octave's pet and undergoes what might be either natural or chemical de-fleaing treatment, and probably with some difficulty learns to become a house kitty.
My 2 cats did have fleas once, and I used what the vet recommended. I've also used those flea traps. What I did discover is that the fleas can lay their eggs which can hatch even after the existing batch has been eliminated. One cat lived to about 17 years, the other 19 years of age. They were long lived cats, and other than one adventuresome escape into the Colorado Blue Spruce in the back, they lived their lives indoors.
In another surprising event, I learned that in one situation I was as much a target as any pet. I noticed that I had what I thought were flea bites on my lower legs, but there were none in the house as well as I could determine and my cats had died almost years earlier. Then one day as I was leaving work I saw something on my leg; it was a flea. The area where I worked was surrounded by woods, I'm sure there were critters, and I know a Northern heron lived in the adjacent stream.
It was the first time I'd ever had that happen. Then again this year I noticed more little spots on my lower legs that I thought might be flea bites after working in the yard.
BTW, Pea, I love your little kitty video!
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Post by wandak🕊 on Dec 5, 2015 11:04:07 GMT -5
DW do you have a recipe for your cat food.
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Post by octave1 on Dec 5, 2015 12:03:59 GMT -5
If the decision is left up to the cat, the cat definitely wants to live in my house. I have heard of flea eggs hatching a long way after the fleas were no longer infesting the cat. This is precisely what my concern is about.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 5, 2015 12:13:14 GMT -5
This is why you need to get rid of the fleas and their eggs before bringing her indoors. I have been in houses with fleas living in the carpets and it is not nice.
We quarantined our cat rescue in the garage until she was flea and worm free. She was also 6-8 months old when we got her and had been living outdoors. She adjusted to a warm comfy house with lots of food perfectly well. She seems to have no regrets about becoming a house cat.
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Post by desertwoman on Dec 5, 2015 12:14:25 GMT -5
Cat Food Recipe
2-4 parts cooked ground turkey 3 parts cooked grain 1 part beans, tofu or egg 2 parts veggies
( for us, 1 part= 1 cup) (4 parts are for kittens, 3 parts for adults, and 2 parts for seniors. Protein needs change at different stages of life)
we make a large batch and freeze in pint size containers. It takes a little over an hour to make about 5-6 weeks worth
We start with 6-7 pounds of ground turkey 8 cups of uncooked barley flakes, ( brown rice, oats, etc are good too) (cooked with 2 c water to 1 c grain) We use half grated carrots and half parsley, but other greens are good too We currently scramble 1 dozen eggs (due to her needs at this stage of life, but used tofu in the past- I think it was 2 -3 containers)
Put everything in a food processor and add some water for processing, if necessary.
If you are transitioning a cat from commercial food to homemade, you need to wean them off the commercial food. Many people give up because their cats "don't like" the home made food. So add just a little homemade to their regular serving of commercial and then,day by day, week by week, add more homemade and less commercial.
I've always started with a kitten so it has been easy to get them to eat homemade.
Miss Grace actually will not eat commercial- even high quality- food. We tried , just to see. She refused it.
The last time we had her to the vet (about 1.5 years ago to diagnose her aged related kidney disease) he was amazed at her vitality. We only use a vet to help us determine what is going on from a western perspective, and then we address it nutritionally and with supplements. The vet felt she would die within a year with a steady decline over that year. Instead she has gotten better.
I can only speak from my personal experience over the past 35 years. All our cats have eaten this recipe exclusively, with nutritional yeast, and have been extremely healthy and vital with no health issues until old age, no fleas, no worms of any kind.
The life expectancy for cats is 12- 15 years.
Here is a calculator for determining a cats' age in human years End of 1st year= 15 human years End of 2nd year add 9 = 24 human years each additional year add 4
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 5, 2015 12:24:43 GMT -5
That's interesting. I always thought that a cats age multiplied by 7 was their human age but based on that formula our 10 year old cat is only 56 years old instead of 70 like I had thought.
That's good news because I would like her to live forever!
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