Most pet homeowners are acquainted with fleas. Even your indoor cat can endure from these menaces, which is why frequently checking your cat for infestation is essential. Pests like fleas could cause irritated, itchy pores and skin and make your as soon as cheerful feline depressing.

Flea combs are an efficient technique to verify your cat for fleas and make a giant dent in an infestation if there may be one. Kittens which are too younger for flea therapies may profit from this device.

There’s a knack to utilizing a flea comb, nevertheless. Used incorrectly, it might probably lead to some pissed off swats from a clawed paw. This information contains seven useful tricks to educate you the right way to correctly use a flea comb on a cat.

The 7 Suggestions and Tips to Utilizing a Flea Comb on a Cat

1. Introduce the Flea Comb Early

A flea comb, like each different device in your cat’s grooming package, ought to be launched to your cat slowly. The sooner that you simply introduce it and get your cat used to the feeling of it operating by way of their fur, the extra accepting they’ll be of it.

Kittens, notably in the event that they’re youthful than 12 weeks, are sometimes too younger for flea therapies. On this case, a flea comb is the most secure choice for them and can assist you to management their flea infestation.

2. Use a Common Brush First

There’s nothing worse than utilizing a fine-tooth comb on tangled hair. Irrespective of how mild you might be, it’ll discover each knotted mat with out fail, particularly you probably have a long-haired cat breed. This makes it troublesome so that you can get the comb by way of your cat’s fur and might trigger your cat ache within the course of.

Though it’ll take you a bit longer, it’s value operating a daily brush by way of your cat’s fur first. It will take away any tangled fur earlier than you seize the flea comb, making it simpler to get the finer tooth by way of their coat.

3. Comb Them In an Simple to Clear Floor

Fleas get in every single place, and to lower the prospect of them discovering their manner again onto your cat, it’s greatest when you use a flea comb exterior in a room that doesn’t have carpeted flooring or furnishings the place fleas can disguise.

The lavatory is an efficient place to contemplate. In case your cat doesn’t thoughts, you’ll be able to even make the most of the bath or the sink as a spot to rinse the flea comb off between brushes.

Utilizing a carpeted room could be unavoidable, although. On this case, use a protecting plastic cowl, and remember to vacuum and treat the carpet and furniture with flea spray once you’ve finished.

4. Work From Head to Tail

Correctly utilizing a flea comb isn’t only a case of following the fur or instantly going for the locations the place fleas like to cover. For one of the best outcomes, you have to be methodical in regards to the course of.

By beginning at your cat’s head — avoiding the face — and slowly working your manner alongside their again, sides, legs, and tail, you’ll be steering fleas in a path that they’ll’t escape. Following the path of your cat’s fur can be a way more nice expertise on your feline.

Pay shut consideration to your cat’s abdomen, underneath its legs, chin, and the bottom of its tail. These areas are all locations the place fleas love to cover. A second comb-through a couple of minutes after the primary go-over might help catch any fleas that you simply missed.

5. Be Light

Fleas are a menace, and your eagerness to take away them out of your cat’s coat or a busy schedule could make you wish to get it completed as quickly as doable. This received’t be an pleasing expertise on your cat, although. You may even make their already irritated pores and skin extra uncomfortable.

Wait till you may have loads of time to spare to make the method as mild as doable. Take your time, and be methodical about going over each inch of your cat. Not solely will this make it simpler so that you can gather the vast majority of your cat’s fleas, but it surely’ll even be extra pleasing on your cat.

6. Rinse the Comb Usually

Together with being nice at amassing fleas, flea combs additionally gather unfastened fur, flea grime, flea eggs, and different particles that could be in your cat’s coat. With each go by way of your cat’s fur with the comb, verify the bristles to verify they’re clear earlier than going again in.

It’s useful to have a bucket of heat, soapy water close by. Use Dawn dish soap, which is pet pleasant. If you happen to discover that your flea comb has collected fur, fleas, or grime, shortly rinse it off within the bucket earlier than returning to your cat’s fur.

The water may even ensure any dwell fleas that you simply gather received’t leap again onto your cat. You’ll wish to correctly wash the flea comb after you’ve completed too.

7. Comb Often

Fleas are wily creatures with an inclination to cover every time one thing disturbs them. A single once-over is unlikely to utterly rid your cat of an infestation, which is why it’s essential to frequently go over your cat’s fur. Even when you use a flea remedy, you’ll be able to assist pace up the method — and ensure it’s working — by utilizing a flea comb once in a while.

This additionally works for kittens which are too younger for flea therapies. The extra instances you go over their fur with a flea comb, the extra probably that you simply’ll interrupt the flea life cycle and management their infestation.

What Is a Flea Comb?

Cheap and innocent, flea combs are fine-toothed combs. They don’t seem to be solely cheaper than many different flea therapies on the market, however they’re additionally probably the greatest methods to deal with a flea-infested pet.

The positive tooth lure fleas when the comb is run by way of your cat’s fur, and they’re going to additionally decide up flea eggs and grime. Doing it will interrupt the flea life cycle.

A flea comb can be nice for kittens as a result of it’s a non-toxic methodology to rid them of fleas. Whereas the method is extra time consuming than utilizing the standard flea therapies, it’s simply as efficient.

Learn how to Select a Flea Comb

Most flea combs are comparable, and in a pinch, you should use the identical one in your cat as you do in your canine. There are a number of variations, although. Longhaired cats will profit extra from a flea comb with longer tooth. You may additionally discover a small choice particularly designed for cats, to make it simpler to get into these hard-to-reach areas that fleas love to cover in.

Steel tooth are additionally extra sturdy than plastic, however ensure the ends aren’t sharp. Fleas are infamous for irritating your cat’s pores and skin, and you have to watch out to not make the issue worse. Some combs have rubber tricks to make them gentler.

If you happen to discover that your flea comb has bent or damaged tooth, it’s time to put money into a brand new one to stop by accident hurting your cat.

When Ought to You Use a Flea Comb?

In contrast to chemical flea therapies, flea combs can be utilized as usually as needed. It’s a totally non-toxic methodology of managing a flea infestation. That mentioned, you do need to dedicate extra time to treating your cat for fleas when you use a flea comb.

It’s nonetheless an awesome device to have in your grooming package, although, and it may be used alongside flea therapies. Bear in mind to brush your cat first to take away any tangles from its coat.

Conclusion

Utilizing a flea comb is a time-consuming however efficient technique to deal with an infestation of fleas. While you mix it with flea therapies or use it as soon as a day, you’ll be able to gather and take away grownup fleas, flea eggs, and flea grime.

Following the guidelines and methods on this article, you need to have the ability to benefit from the device and hold your cat’s fleas underneath management.

Featured Picture Credit score: Simone Hogan, Shutterstock