The Villager

My six-year-old cat Avril has allergic dermatitis from flea bites. She's an indoor cat so I don't know how she got fleas and especially not in the winter. My vet has given me ointment to soothe her skin and Advantage to control the fleas. I haven't seen any fleas in my house. Do you have any idea how this could have happened?

Patricia T., North York

Dear Patricia,

Fleas are incredibly hardy little creeps that can plague animals and people at any time of the year. They enjoy warmer weather, of course, but when it gets cold outside, they simply set up shop indoors where they snooze, eat and breed in comfort.

I can understand your surprise when your veterinarian found that Avril has fleas. It might seem an odd infliction for an indoor cat but it takes just one flea to hitch a ride into your house on someone's clothing or other means of transport and voila! Fleas rarely remain solo. Before long you'll be harbouring a growing number of tiny vampires.

It's not unusual that you haven't actually witnessed a flea in your home. Often by the time you see one, you're dealing with an infestation. Fleas hop onto a warm body when they need a blood meal then hop off and hang out somewhere else. They like to hide.

Your veterinarian probably didn't see a flea either but telltale signs are tiny black specks, which are flea excrement or perhaps eggs. These specks often look like garden variety dirt but if you place them on a sheet of white paper, tissue or paper towel and add a bit of water, the specks will turn brown/red in colour, which indicates blood ingested by the flea.

Flea bites are itchy and annoying but some animals, like Avril, and some people can also suffer an allergic reaction (flea allergy dermatitis) to the flea saliva. Animals under six months of age rarely show reaction; onset generally occurs between three and six years and appears as bumps, rawness and/or rough patches. The animal will scratch and bite itself rather violently especially around the thighs, base of tail, head and neck. All that scratching may cause lesions that can become infected. And fleas can carry tapeworm (intestinal parasite), which can be transmitted through the bite. It can be a nasty circle.

Your veterinarian has already supplied a soothing product for Avril's skin as well as Advantage, which is a "spot-on" treatment (applied directly to her skin) that will kill adult fleas on her body and deter others from hopping on for at least 30 days.

It's also important to rid your environment of fleas. Your veterinarian can recommend products to kill them in all their various life stages. I had a major flea infestation in my own home more than a decade ago when spot-on products such as Advantage and oral preparations such as Sentinel and Revolution were just becoming available but I refused to try them because several of my pets were suffering various medical issues and I was concerned about possible adverse health effects.

It had been a particularly prolific year for fleas (an early, warm spring) and, as a result, I was forced into a one-day flea-spree just prior to Christmas. I dropped off my cats and dogs with a friend then rampaged through my house with flea sprays and vacuumed and laundered everything in sight. The infestation was stopped but it's a scenario I don't want to repeat.

Now each spring I consult with my veterinarian to find out which products will work best for each of my pets. Continue to consult with Avril's veterinarian to determine which treatments will work well for her according to her age, lifestyle, general health and environment.

E-mail jacque-newman@rogers.com with a question, comment or suggestion.