Fleas and ticks are more than an itchy nuisance. Fleas can cause skin allergies and spread tapeworms, and ticks can carry diseases such as Lyme disease. The good news is that prevention is simple once you know the basics and choose a product that is right for your pet.
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This article is general information, not veterinary advice. Your vet knows your pet’s age, weight, health, and the parasites common where you live, so ask them which prevention is best before you start or switch products.
The Most Important Safety Rule
Never use a dog flea or tick product on a cat. Many dog products contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats and can cause tremors, seizures, and death. Even close contact with a freshly treated dog can make a sensitive cat sick. If you have both, ask your vet about safe options for a mixed household, and call your vet or an animal poison control line right away if a cat is exposed.
Why Prevention Matters
- Fleas cause intense itching, flea allergy dermatitis, hair loss, and in heavy infestations anemia, especially in kittens and puppies. Pets that swallow fleas while grooming can get tapeworms
- Ticks can spread Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other illnesses to dogs. Cats can be affected by tick-borne disease too
- Your home can become infested quickly. Most of a flea population lives in carpet, bedding, and furniture as eggs, larvae, and pupae, not on the pet
Should Prevention Be Year-Round?
Many vets and the Companion Animal Parasite Council recommend year-round prevention for dogs and cats. Fleas can survive indoors all winter, and ticks can be active on warm winter days. Stopping and starting also makes it easy to forget a dose. Your vet can tell you what makes sense for your area.
Types of Flea and Tick Prevention
Prescription Chews and Tablets
Monthly or longer-lasting oral products from your vet are popular because there is nothing on the coat to wash off or touch. Many protect against both fleas and ticks. One group, called isoxazolines, carries an FDA warning about possible neurologic side effects such as muscle tremors and seizures in some pets. Tell your vet if your pet has ever had a seizure.
Spot-On (Topical) Treatments
Liquid treatments are applied to the skin between the shoulder blades once a month. Several well-known options are available without a prescription, such as topical flea and tick treatments for dogs and topical flea treatments for cats. Always buy the product made for your pet’s species and exact weight range, and never split a large dog dose for a smaller pet.
Collars
Flea and tick collars release medication slowly over several months. They can be convenient, but follow the fit instructions closely, check the skin under the collar regularly for irritation, and take the collar off if your pet seems unwell. Keep collars away from children and other pets that might chew them.
Shampoos, Sprays, and Natural Products
Flea shampoos kill fleas on the pet at bath time but give little or no lasting protection. Be very cautious with “natural” products and essential oils. Tea tree, pennyroyal, and many other oils can be toxic to cats and dogs, even in small amounts. Natural does not mean safe.
Tips for Using Prevention Safely
- Weigh your pet and buy the product for the correct weight range
- Read the full label before every first use, and follow the dosing schedule
- Watch your pet for a day after a new product. Call your vet for vomiting, drooling, stumbling, tremors, or skin redness
- Treat every dog and cat in the home, not only the one you see scratching
- Buy from your vet or a reputable seller. Counterfeit flea products are a known problem online, so check packaging and reviews carefully
- Keep a calendar reminder so doses are never late
How to Check Your Pet for Fleas
Run a fine-toothed flea comb through the fur near the base of the tail, belly, and neck. Tap what you collect onto a damp white paper towel. Tiny dark specks that turn reddish brown are flea dirt, which is digested blood, and a sign that fleas are present.
How to Check for and Remove Ticks
After walks in grass or woods, check your dog’s ears, neck, armpits, between the toes, and around the tail. Run your hands slowly over the whole body, feeling for small bumps.
To remove a tick, use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can and pull straight out with steady pressure, without twisting or squeezing the body. Clean the bite area and your hands afterward. Do not use a match, petroleum jelly, or nail polish. If the area stays red or swollen, or your pet becomes lethargic, limps, or loses appetite in the following weeks, see your vet.
How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home
If your pet has fleas, the home needs attention too, or the problem will keep coming back.
- Vacuum carpets, rugs, furniture, and baseboards every day or two for several weeks, and empty the vacuum outside each time
- Wash pet bedding, blankets, and throws in hot water every week. A washable bed cover makes this much easier
- Keep treating your pets on schedule. It can take several weeks to break the flea life cycle because new fleas keep hatching from pupae in the environment
- Ask your vet about a home spray that contains an insect growth regulator if the infestation is heavy, and keep pets away from treated areas until they are dry. Cover fish tanks before spraying
- Treat the yard by keeping grass short and clearing leaf litter where fleas and ticks hide
Frequently Asked Questions
Do indoor cats need flea prevention?
Many vets recommend it. Fleas can come inside on people, other pets, and visitors, and an indoor cat can still get an infestation. Ask your vet what is right for your cat.
Can I use one product on all my pets?
Only if the label says it is approved for each species and weight. Dog products in particular can be dangerous for cats.
How fast does flea prevention work?
Most products start killing fleas within hours to a day, but you may still see fleas for several weeks while eggs and pupae in the home hatch. Keep treating on schedule.
Bottom Line
Talk with your vet, pick a product made for your pet’s species and weight, use it year-round, and treat your home if fleas appear. Never put a dog product on a cat. For more pet care basics, see our essential dog supplies and essential cat supplies checklists.
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